Dark Days
by BellaPerea
Summary: Sakura has lost a lot in her life; family, friends, and recently, HER SANITY. A family of gods reside in her head, who give her both power and a major headache. How does one survive through life with that? Kick-ass. ItaSaku discontinued: read AN
1. Prologue: The Haruno clan is dead

**Prologue**

_'Dammit! I can't...NO!'_

A dark chuckle echoed through the empty hallway. "Dear brother. did you think you could run away?"

_'NO!'_ He tried gasping out, but blood filled his mouth as he was knocked over. _'My wife, my daughter...Are they alive? Did they manage to get out of the compound safely? If only I could...'_

He let out another scream of pain.

"Hmph. Pathetic."

Metal clashed with flesh. Blood splattered on the once white walls. Bodies scattered the wooden flooring. It was over. The Haruno clan was dead.

------------------------

"Mama." The little child that she straddled on her back said sweetly, not hinting the pain she felt at the very moment.

"Shush." The blond mother cooed her small child sweetly. She finally stopped running, landing on a low branch. "Looks like we're safe for know my sweet." The mother ran her fingers softly through her young child's pink hair as tears welled up in her eyes. She already set the child down and was kneeling down to level their heads. "My little cherry blossom. I vow today that no one--ABSOLUTELY NO ONE can hurt you after today." The woman's hands glowed green as she placed it on her daughter's cut on her right arm.

The little child just looked at her mother. The girl looked at the woman with bright green eyes filled with innocence. At her young age of 4, she already could read her mother's intense eyes and body language. She saw her mother's hands tremble as the gash disappeared slowly. Her mom's face paled as she nearly fell off the branch. "Okaasan!"

Luckily, the former kunoichi acted quickly, catching herself and her daughter quickly. "Sakura," She said, picking up her daughter and transferring her body to lean against a tree.

"Okaasan, you were right."

"Nani Sakura-chan?" She played with her daughter's oddly colored hair again.

"You wouldn't let anyone hurt me."

"Don't worry about anything Sakura-chan. We will be safe...together. Nothing will tear us apart, don't you know it." The mother tapped the little button nose of her daughter gently. "We will be together. Forever."

"Forever okaasan?" The little girl said, clutching the loose cloth of her mother's sleeping yukata.

"Forever and ever, my little cherry blossom."

And that night, Sakura repeated her mother's promise in her head, making sure she would keep it forever and ever in her memory.

That promise was broken.

----------------

"OKAASAN!!!!!"

-----------------

**A/N: Hey guys! Here, I present DARK DAYS! I wanted to start early. My fingers have been itching to write this. _AND_ this is my first storyline I thought of BY MYSELF! No older sister making the plot line for me! Honestly though, I think I'll be updating this more than 'Impatience'.I also think I'm gonna change my formatting. Don't you think the chapters of 'Impatience' were a little short? Well, I'm not the type to make long chapters. Might as well just make a lot in my point of view. :)) I won't be able to update for a few days though, I have my class retreat and I'm going to the beach the day after (my parents are crazy). Anyways, R&R please!!**

**xoxo,**

**Bella  
**


	2. Chapter 1: My Twisted Past

**Chapter 1**

_"Protect this with your life..."_

_-----------------  
_

"GAH!" Sakura breathed heavily. Sweat dripped slowly from her forehead. _'It was all a dream...'_

She looked at the clock. 6:45 in the morning. The briefing for rookie genin begins at nine. It was too early to start getting ready, for she would have been done in ten minutes flat. And it was too late for her to go back to sleep. Getting out of bed, she stretched and jogged in place a little bit. _'Might as well get ready then.'_

She walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She pulled out her toothbrush and toothpaste and started her daily routine. _Stretch, brush, shower, dress, eat, school._ She repeated to herself. Jumping into the shower, she jolted at the feeling of the lukewarm water on the back. The slight pain didn't compare though to the pain in her past life.

She lived alone in a far off shinobi village far from her native countryside home. Her father and the rest of her family--humble innocents working as corn farmers--were brutally murdered eight years prior to that day. Sakura and her mother survived that night and ran away to Konohagukare, but the nightmare came back to haunt them. The only person she could trust with her past now was her only friend Ino.

------------------

_"Ne, Sakura-chan, what are you crying about?" The loud blonde commented on the little pink haired girl's tears. "Tears are just going to make your face ugly. Even after all I've done to fix your hair!"_

_"I-Ino-cha-chan..." Sakura mumbled under her breath. _

_"Sakura-chan! I can't hear you." Ino sat beside the weeping girl._

_"I-I c-can't t-tell y-y-you."_

_"Sakura! Am I your best friend or not?"_

_"My mother..."_

_Sakura described that night..._those_ horrible nights. Nights that a nine year-old child shouldn't experience. _

_Finally, Ino's lips parted._

_"I'm so sorry Sakura-chan! I didn't know..."_

_"It's okay Ino-chan,"_

_"But you have to dry up your tears before Ami-baka sees you." Ino stood up and extended her arm for the other girl to take. _

_Sakura took the hand with a smile. "Thank you, Ino-chan."_

_Ino used her other arm to pull out a hankerchief and handed it to Sakura. "Hai! Now let's get going before Iruka-sensei will get mad."_

_They ran hand-in-hand towards the screaming group of children with smiles on their faces._

_-------------------------  
_

Sakura got our of the shower and wiped herself dry. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was a pale skinned girl, with emerald eyes and pink hair. Her eyes were accentuated with the black lags under them. She hasn't been getting enough sleep.

Sighing, she put on her usual pink sleveless dress with the Haruno symbol at the back. She picked up her newly earned Konoha shinobi headband and tied it in the place where Ino's pink ribbon used to go.

She checked the clock. 7:45 am. _'I must have taken it slow this morning.'_ She walked to the kitchen and pulled out some bread and jam. She heated up the toaster and waited, her thoughts drifted to her mother. She wished that her mother was there to help fix her hair since all she could do was the plain headband style and a simple ponytail. She remembered her mother's dainty fingers blaiding her hair and making complicated hairstyles with chopsticks and other ornaments.

_'What's that smell? Is that...'_ Sakura urgently pulled out her now burnt toast out of the toaster witha pair of tongs. _'I must have drifted off...'_ Sakura placed the burnt wheat bread sliced on a plate and spread jam all over it. _'Umm...crunchy...'_

_--------------------  
_

Sakura walked to the academy, hands swinging and chin up. It was a moment, one of the very few happy ones she's had in the past three years. She walked with pride to her future.

"Ja ne okaa-san!" A familiar shrill, high pitched voice shouted from ahead of her. "Oi, Sakura-chan!"

"Ohayo Ino-chan!" Sakura smiled, running to catch up with her best friend.

"So you graduated." Ino said, poiting out Sakura's gleaming headband. "Surprise surprise." She gave a sarcastic hint at the end, which held some hidden meaning Sakura couldn't decipher understand.

"I'm surprised too." Sakura's head sunk down as she frowned. "But you graduated too! no surprise there!" Sakura plasted a pearly white smile on her face as she praised the young Yamanaka.

Ino just sighed. _'She really doesn't see it does she?'_ She thought. Sakura was a genius, and everybody except her noticed that. Sakura was the daughter of the Haruno clan! It may be a small, far off clan who lived on a corn field, but they were said to once be the most powerful clan in Konoha, surpassing even the Hyuugas, Uchihas and even Ino's own clan.

"Ne, Ino, what are you thinking about?" Sakura asked, seeing Ino's head hanging low and her blond bangs hanging over her face.

"Nothing Sakura." She said as they walked in through the academy doors.

-----------------

"KYAAA!!" Ino squealed into Sakura's ear. "Look! It's Sasuke-kun! He looks so cute with his headband and..."

Sakura ignored Ino's fangirly screams. She saw no point in her becoming a fan girl of the Uchiha survivor. She already knew how he felt about it: really really REALLY ANNOYED. Who wouldn't be after your older brother kills your whole clan and leaves you to die? Sakura has been going through the same thing.

She was in a daze. Ino left her to join the group of Uchiha fan girls. _'Typical Ino.'_

"Oi! SAKURA-CHYANNN!!" a familiar, loud blond boy waved from a desk four steps down. He was Uzumaki Naruto, the son of the Yondaime Hokage. "I SAVED A SEAT FOR YOU!!"

Suddenly, Sakura was in front of the waving Naruto, head low and hand on his wrist. "Naruto...." She fumed. "DON'T MAKE SUCH A RACKET!!!"

Bam.

Naruto attended the rest of the briefing with a lump jutting out of his head.

------------------

"Okay class. Seeing that all of you have calmed down, I will now announce your genin teams." Iruka said to the class. All of the snapped up at the sound of their names. "Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto."

"Uh..." Naruto woke up from his half-sleep.

"Haruno Sakura..."

"Yeah! I get to be with Sakura-chan!!"

"And Uchiha Sasuke."

_'Oh crap.' _Sakura sighed, looking at her teammates; a hyper-active, annoying blond who barely passed the graduation exam and a revenge-crazed, I-don't-give-a-shit-about-your-life, souless ass.

-------------------

"SAKURA! WHY DO YOU GET TO BE WITH SASUKE-KUN WHILE I HAVE A LAZY ASS AND FATTY-BOY OVER THERE!!" Ino whinned, pointing at her teammates, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji. The genius and the human trashcan.

"Ne, Ino, I wasn't the one who chose the teams..." Sakura said calmly. "If you wanna get mad at someone, blame Iruka-sensei. Besides, I'm stuck with...-sigh- Naruto."

Ino pondered on this for a moment. "Ehehe...sorry Sakura. It's just that, why do you get to be with," She leaned on the railing and propped her head on her palms as she day dreamed about the Uchiha prodigy. "Sasuke-kun..."

"Ino..."

"Alright, alright." Ino snapped out of her daze and knotted her eyebrows. "I'd better go forehead. My teammates and I are gonna eat lunch together." She ran off towards the town. "Ja ne!"

"Ja ne Ino-chan!"

-------------------

**A/N: Hey peoplez.....I hope you liked this chapter. It wasn't much, and it was really hard to write. I mean, the first chapter is supposed to explain everything...**

**Anyways, I know I changed some things in this chapter. One: SAKURA'S NOT A SASUKE FAN GIRL!! my ultimate dream. I mean, I'm not a big fan of what he did in anime-verse (leavinng her unconscious on a bench like that), and so WHY DOES HE DESERVE SOMEONE AS AWESOME AS SAKURA!!??**

**-ahem-**

**Forgive my ranting. Two: I took out the 'Naruto kisses Sasuke' part. Even though I dislike the Uchiha bastard A LOT, doesn't mean we have to go bashing him about being gay...Sai is another story though ;D (sorry Sai fan girls).**

**Three: Ino isn't as bitchy as before!!! LOLZ.**

**Now, REVIEW. CLICK ON THE LITTLE PURPLE BUTTON LIKE YOU CURSOR IS MAGNETIZED TO THE REVIEWS BUTTON....**

**xoxo,**

**Bella  
**


	3. Chapter 2: The Truth, the Hurt

**A/N: Hey guys...sorry i couldn't update last week. school's been REALLY busy, and my glasses broke, so i couldn't really see well.**

**Anyways, i'm not trying to follow manga-verse, so the lines might not be exact. Oh, and i might have tweaked it a bit.**

**Enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 2**

Team seven was bored. Their teacher was late (so late, that all the other teams and IRUKA had left), and what's worse, Naruto's up to no good.

Sakura and Sasuke watched him, outwardly showing no interest but their gazes revealed they were watching with awe.

Finally, Sakura piped up. "Oi, Naruto. What are you doing?"

Naruto gave a small chuckle as he pulled a chair to the door. He stood on the chair and heald a chalkboard eraser. _'This is what our sensei gets for being late.'_ He thought darkly.

"Oi, Naruto!" Sakura shouted again. _'Uh-oh.'_ she thought. _'Inner Sakura is leaking out again.'_ Her hand instinctively rose to her chest. _It_ hurt again.

The sound of a dragging wooden chair woke her up. Footsteps echoed from the hallway. Sensei was coming.

"Sorry I was late--" _Plop!_ The eraser fell on the sensei's silver spikes and created white marks on his navy blue mask and headband.

Naruto's loud laughter filled the room. "I can't believe you fell for that!" He was already on the floor, rolling in amusement.

"hn."

"What I think of you guys is..." The mysterious sensei said. The three genin just blinked at him. "...I hate you."

Sweatdrop.

_**'whee.'**_

"Anyways, meet me up on the roof."

------------------

Sakura was there first, even before the mysterious sensei. She dissapeared from the classroom in a whirl of pink petals and reappeared with the same dramatic effect.

The sensei, Naruto and Sasuke walked through the door casually. All their eyes opened in awe when the pink-haired kunoichi appeared there first.

_'I could have sworn she was last to leave the classroom!'_ Sasuke thought to himself. He snarled at the thought a _girl_ was faster than him. He was _Uchiha Sasuke_ for crying out loud!

_'The Haruno Daughter, eh?'_ the silver-haired jonin thought to himself, remebering the massacre eight years ago. The compound on the outskirts of the Fire Country was covered in blood from the bodies of the Harunos that were scattered over the compound. He was the ANBU captain who investigated it.

"First of all, let's introduce each other first. You have to tell me about your name, your likes, your dislikes, your hobbies and your dream got it?" Sensei said as he leaned on the railing at the edge of the rooftop.

Everyone just stared at him.

"Fine, I'll start first. Fine. My name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes and my dislikes….well…I don't have much but I have a main hobby. My dreams for the future? I cannot tell you."

_**'What?! That's it? All he told us was his frikin' name!!'**_ Inner Sakura thought as the Team 7 genin all sweatdropped.

"Why don't you go next?" Kakashi pointed to Naruto. He freely accepted.

"I'M UZUMAKI NARUTO! MY HOBBY IS EATING RAMEN, I LIKE, no, LOVE RAMEN, I HATE THE THREE MINUTES YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE RAMEN CUP TO HEAT UP."

"And your dreams and aspirations?"

"I'M GONNA BECOME HOKAGE! BELIEVE IT!!"

Sasuke sulked in his head. _'As if. Naruto, I hope you soon realize dreams DO NOT come true.'_

"And you?" Kakashi directed his gloved hand to the spiky-haired Uchiha sitting on the steps with his teammates.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't have much likes and I have many dislikes. My hobbies are training and my dream is not a dream but my goal to resurrect my clan and to kill….a certain man."

_'The Uchiha boy. I've heard stories of him. This will be interesting.'_

"Lastly,"

Sakura sat up attentively. "I am Haruno Sakura. I like flowers, puppies and the color pink." She smiled innocently.

Kakashi and Sasuke sighed in unison. _'Typical girl stuff.'_

"My hobbies are reading books, taking walks in the park and hanging with my best friend Ino...my dislikes is when she starts ranting about _someone._"

The someone just gave his signiture 'hn'.

"My dreams..." Sakura hung her head low, letting her petal pink hair fall on her face. "My dream is to find out the truth about..._it_."

Kakashi hid a frown behind his mask. No little girl was to know the horrors of death--the death of her parents especially-experience the after pain and not want revenge.

He compared his students carefully. One of them was the Kyuubi container, disregared and disgraced by the whole village, Hokage-wannabe. The other two were both the last of their clan and wanted a new life: but in different ways. The male of the two thought that the death of his family's killer would bring him happiness--he saw rebirth in vengance--a pointless means for an end, in Kakashi's mind. The girl though, she saw everything, not just discovering the scene. She was even younger than the Uchiha when it happened, and she lost the only person left in her family in the 'safest' place her mother knew. She was heartbroken, and all she wanted was the truth.

"Kay, so we'll meet tomorrow at the training grounds and 5:30 sharp. Got it?" He said.

The three genin nodded.

"Oh, and don't eat breakfast."

--------------

Sakura walked into the training grounds, pink shoulder bag slung over her Haruno dress. It was still about 5 o'clock, still too early for either Sasuke or Naruto (especially Naruto) to be there.

She found herself bordering the lake in the park. The first hint of sunrise looked so pretty on the surface of the lake. It splashed pink and orange on the latter part of the black night, painting a beautiful new day. The ripples in the water shattered the perfect art piece--a slight dissapointment to Sakura. But then, she got to notice what broke her fairytale: a cherry blossom.

She sat down and hugged her knees. Ino would always tell her she was a blossom bud, not quite ready to bloom. Sakura had always believed in the florist blond, but she couldn't help that little sense of doubt. When she looked at her teammate, Sasuke and Naruto, she felt so inferior, and the need to prove herself was always their. _She knew_ she was powerful, she had studied all her family's kekkei genkai (A/N: spelled correctly?) jutsus, learned them by heart, perfected them even, but she felt so...weak. She was the top kunoichi in her class, and yet, she was broken.

_"Sakura, be careful! You might get hurt!"_ a memory echoed in her head. She was climbing the old mahogany tree in her backyard when she was younger. Her mother ran after her, shouting "be careful!" over and over at the top of her lungs.

She used to hate that. Being followed around all the time by someone always telling you to take care, be careful and not hurt yourself. But now, she couldn't live without that little voice playing over and over.

She looked at the sunrise again. It was nearing five-thirty already. Sakura picked herself up and wiped her tears. She raked a pale white hand through her mid-back pink locks and fluffed it a bit. Now she was ready.

_'I will live to be a Haruno. I am strong, I am brave, I am a kunoichi. I am the daughter of the Haruno name.'_

_----------_

**A/N: HOMAHGAWD.**

**Imma done! I finished the second chapter!! Sorry again if it took so long. It's just that I needed to plan out Sakura's personality all over again, and match it with future events. **

**No, there isn't any Itachi YET, because, well, she's twelve and he's like...how old is he again? Geez, I am forgetful.**

**yeah, I'm fond of the whole "pep talk" thing with Sakura, because it was in an assembly in school that said 'if you tell yourself at the start of each day a positive thing you promise to be, your brain programs it.' weird huh? I don't know if it works, but Sakura does need a little up lifting. **

**Kay, it's late and i have class tomorrow. **

**btw, R&R please!**

**you know you love me,**

**Bella  
**


	4. Chapter 3: The Bell Test

**A/N: AHA! Chapter 3!**

**Chapter 3  
**

Sakura saw her two teammates approaching. They met exactly at the middle of the clearing, exactly at 5:30 am.

"Ohayo!" Sakura smiled sweetly, waving to her two disgruntled colleagues.

Naruto was groggily dragging himself across the grass, trying to wake himself up. It was too early to be awake! Is it even legal to be up this early?

Sasuke, on the other hand, was casually walking, hands stuffed in pockets, backpack harnessed across his chest. "hn,"

"So, where's Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked drearily. He saw his two teammates shrug in response. Obviously, they didn't know. He plopped down on the ground butt first. He couldn't keep his eyelids open. They were drooping, wishing for some sleep.

Sasuke watched as the fox boy fell asleep on the morning dew. _'Weakling.'_

Sakura saw Naruto on the grass, laying down as if it were a silky soft bed. He curled up like he was hugging a pillow, and she watched as his dreams droned on. _'He needs the sleep.'_ She thought with a kind heart. She looked at her other teammate, standing up adjacent to her. He was looking out into oblivion, deep in thought. She watched, observing his agony. He lost as much as her. He lost his parents to death, his brother to power. What more, he lost himself.

Hours passed. Reactions arose, like "Where the hell is Kakashi-sensei!" and "Shut up dobe." followed by groans of pain or distress.

At about nine'o clock, Hatake Kakashi bunshined right in front of his student. "Sorry I was late, I got lost on the path of--"

Naruto and Sakura collectively released their anger on the word "LIAR!", pointing to their tardy teacher.

"Anyways."

---------------

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura stood, listening attentively to their sensei.

Kakashi lifted up two bells. "The gaol is to get one bell from me before noon--or else."

"Or else what?" Naruto asked innocently.

"Or else--no lunch." He said darkly.

The blond Kyuubi container gasped in surprise.

"Ready?"

Naruto lunged at his teacher with a kunai, only to be caught swiftly and twisted to have his own kunai at his neck.

"I didn't say 'go' yet."

He released the orange clad genin.

...

...

...

"GO."

Three flashes of the colors blue, pink and orange leaped into the forest.

---------------

Sakura watched Naruto's foiled attempt to head on attack their _jounin_ sensei. He was now hanging upside down from a rope on a tree.

"No fair! I can't believe it!" and other stuff like that, rolled of the blond's tongue.

"Well, you should have thought that out first." Kakashi said, not bothering to look up his little orange book.

Three shuriken spun towards the silver-haired teacher. _'Nonono! You took it too far!'_

Smoke billowed from where Kakashi once stood. In his place, there lay a wooden tree log.

...

...

And a pink haired kunoichi, staring at a blond shinobi sprawled over the dirt.

"Naruto...do you plan to get up anytime soon?" She asked innocently, offering her hand.

---------------

Sasuke saw everything.

Naruto was hanging upside down. Kakashi was totally off guard--or so he thought. His shuriken were thrown with accurate precision, but Hatake had to use substitution jutsu.

And how did Sakura get there?

He jumped out, armed with a kunai. He lunged at his teammate, hoping to knock her out. His foot collided with something., hopefully her jugular.

"TEME, WHAT THE HELL!?"

It wasn't. His foot was in her hand.

She twisted his 360 degrees in the air. She played around with a few hand seals, causing the wind to gather beneath him--catching him, letting him fall softly on the ground.

"Sasuke, if we want to get a bell, don't target me."

And she was gone.

_'Dammit...when did she get so good?'_

---------------

Kakashi rested on a high branch, out of reach of his three students. In his hand, he held his naughty orange book.

No way any of his genin students would get him now.

Then, a flash of pink flew through the forest and collided with him with an 'oof'.

The pinkette looked at her silver-haired teacher innocently. "Ohayo, sensei." she smiled, bending down to inspect him. His seen eye was closed, to the point of believable unconsciousness.

WRONG.

Another substitution jutsu.

_'Damn.'_

Sakura saw the log in front of her, tracing back on Kakashi's behavioral instincts.

Another poof of smoke formed behind her. She pivoted, trying to kick the attacker. He was gone in an instant.

She stod up straight, analyzing her surroundings. Kakashi wasn't anywhere. She looked up, left, right, behind her. Nothing.

"Wind Cyclone Jutsu!" She shouted, being lifted in the air by twenty feet. Just in time, she thought, seeing a gloved hand pop out from the ground.

Kakashi was up on the ground in another poof of smoke. _'This kid is good.'_

Sakura was still in midair as she formed another sequence of hand seals. "Snow blossom: Cutting Edge Jutsu!" in a moment, Sakura dissapeared in a whisp of petals. Kakashi's eye widened: no way a genin could do that even with proper training!

He dodged petals that were as sharp as knives floating through the air with awesome speed. Even with his own amazing speed, the petals followed him through the forest, cutting through the trees and branches.

A clean cutting sound was heard. The petals halted, falling limp on the ground. Another gust of wind, Sakura's body regain shape.

Kakashi looked at his student with awe and wonder: she was the smallest, the weakest, the most frail...she was teammates with an Uchiha and the Kyuubi boy! And yet, she rose to the top, seeing that a little silver bell hung from her finger. _'And under an hour.'_

"Gotcha Kakashi-sensei." She smiled, flashing a peace sign at him.

"Good job Sakura." He said, smiling behind his mask. "Why don't you head on to the clearing while I continue with Sasuke and Naruto?"

Sakura nodded and headed to the clearing obediently.

---------------

Sakura sat in the clearing, adniring the trees from below. She sat like a little child, sprawling her legs out and leaned backward, supporting herself with her arms. Her pink hair flew freely as her head was hung backwards, as she watched the sky in a daze.

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke formed in front of her. There was Kakashi. "Well done Sakura. You were the only one who got a bell." She clapped his hands lazily, his eye in it's upside-down U position.

"Thanks sensei." She said, getting up and rubbing invisible dust off her dress. She heard leaves rustling, and next think you know, Naruto and Sasuke jumped out of the trees.

"Well, I see you guys barely made it." Kakashi commented, seeing his two male students panting heavily.

"SAKURA-CHAN! WHY ARE YOU HERE SO FAST??!!!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke stayed silent, but was as shocked at the Kyuubi container. She was there, standing with arms crossed casually, smiling radiantly and smelling like fresh grass and cherries. What else, she didn't have a single scratch on her. He looked at himself and Naruto--Pating heavily, tired from random sparring incidents with teacher or teammate, running through the forests and manuevering against their teacher's jutsus.

"You guys look hungry." Kakashi piped up, napping them out of their trance.

Both boys nodded as their teacher pulled out the two bento boxes from out of nowhere.

"Too bad. you will be tied to those," Kakashi pointed to the three logs behind him. "While Sakura eats this bento box right in front of you two."

Sakura gulped. She couldn't stand her teammates, but that didn't mean she could torture them like that.

---------------

"AIYYAAAA!!!! KAKASHI-SENSEI!!! THIS IS SO UNFAIR!!!!!!!!!" Naruto cried out as he was strapped on to a log. Sasuke was in the same position, tied beforehand, but all he did was grunt and scoff...a lot.

Sakura watched from her seat by the memorial stone. Her teammates looked weird tied to the logs...not at all high and mighty and powerful at all. It was actually quite entertaining.

"It's weird, ya know." Kakashi said, putting on his funny-teacher-lecture-y voice. He gave a dark chuckle as he continued. "Seeing that the only one who came back with a bell was the girl in this team." He paused, letting the message sink in. Naruto was awkwardly silent, and the Uchiha glared at his teacher with as much hatred as he could possibly build up. "I think I know the one person in our team who is one step closer to becoming Hokage."

"Shut up." Naruto commented dryly.

"And whatever happened to 'the Great Uchiha clan?'"

Sasuke bit his toungue, trying not to comment fiercely on that.

"Do you know why you failed? Do you even understand why you were put into teams? To look out for each other! To work TOGETHER!" He emphasized.

All three genin bowed their heads in guilt. All were criminals of breaking the shinobi law.

"Well, seeing that you two are way too bent on your dreams for giving up, I'm gonna give _all_ of you a re-test."

_**'Aw man! We have to do it again?'**_

"But if Sakura's the only one coming back with a bell, ALL of you will be taken off the shinobi program _permanently._"

GULP.

The grave words dug deep into the threesome. No way Naruto would ever become Hokage. No way Sasuke could ever kill his brother. No way Sakura...

She can live normally...like a citizen, right?

---------------

Shortly after she sat down and ate, a grumbling sound came from Naruto's stomach. "OWIEE!" he cried.

Sakura blinked. Kaka-sensei told her not to feed any of the boys, no matter how hungry they seem.

Then again, they were still her teammates, and even though they were mentally disturb, stuck up idiots, they were still human (to a point) and needed food.

Logic versus common sense.

_'Logic...'_

_**'Love.'**_

"Naruto..." She said, appearing right in front of the log he was attached to. She picked up her chopsticks and held a salmon sushi roll. "Open."

The blond obeyed. He chewed as she pulled her finger to her lips. He followed her direction as she pivoted to her other teammate.

"Don't. Naruto needs it more." He refused. Uchiha Sasuke wasn't to be offered food by a girl!

"Don't be such a loser Sasuke. Open."

Thunder crashed and lightning struck above them. The ground started shaking and grey skies plagued the once sunny day. "YOU DISOBEYED ME SAKURA." Kakashi appeared behind her, bellowing in his scariest voice. His eye showed an angry expression as the silver-haired jonin held his hands on his hips. "NOW ALL OF YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE EXPELLED FROM THE PROGRA--"

"NO!" Sakura cried. "I had to feed them! They're my teammates!"

Kakashi blinked as his student ranted on.

"I couldn't let them go hungry, even though I think they're idiots, they're my teammates! We're all teammates!"

"And teammates stick together!" Naruto added.

"And will always think of their comrades before themselves." Sasuke said with a scared/smug look on his face.

The thunder grew louder and the lightning glowed brighter in the background. The earth shoke beneath their feet, as their teacher's eye got angrier and angrier...

It was coming. Doomsday. They'll be expelled. They'll be laughed at, ridiculed.

"You pass." The day suddenly grew brighter at Kakashi's simple two words.

"Wha-what?" all three geinin seemed to stammer in unison.

"You pass. Is that so hard to understand?"

---------------

Kakashi strolled by himself in the park, 'Icha Icha Paradise' at hand. His students already left. His very first students.

He examined them again. Naruto was...and idiot. Although he was a very important person in the village. He's very high-spirited. He can go far if he put his heart to it--and he usually did.

Sasuke was a loner, a silent-and-mysterious type...a genius that any girl would fall for. A survivor, extremely powerful.

Sakura. a kind, sweet, adorable girl. Loving and selfless. It wasn't questionable though, why she was a shinobi. Her family's power in one little girl was overwhelming.

So why put two geniuses in one team?

---------------

**A/N: review please!**

**sorry for the late update...my internet was like on, off, on, off the whole week.**

**again. REVIEW. NOW.**

**-Bella  
**


	5. Chapter 4: Watch and Learn

**Disclaimer**

**Hey guys! I got a special guest for disclaimers today!**

_**Hn.**_

**Sasuke, don't be a sadistic bastard…say the disclaimer already.**

_**Hn.**_

***sigh* Oh well. You know, I have this nice ItaSaku fic in progress…**

_**NO! NO! NO! *Hugs Sakura plushie***_

**Well then…?**

_***clears throat* Bella-sama wishes **__**to announce that she does NOT own Naruto or any of the characters in it, nor Cheetos™ or Vans™.**_

**Very good Sasuke. :))**

---------------

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura sat in Ichiraku's slurping their ramen beside their mysterious sensei, Hatake Kakashi. It was Kakashi's treat after a long day of D-classed missions.

"How do you not like the chicken-y goodness of the chicken-shrimp ramen?" Naruto said, curiously examining his noodles. "And don't forget the shrimp part!"

Sakura and Sasuke looked at the young blonde with confused faces. Well of course there would be chicken AND shrimp in a chicken-shrimp ramen!

Sasuke stared at him with a hint of annoyance, thinking aloud about the chicken-shrimp thing to Naruto.

"Of course I knew _that_, teme." Naruto insisted.

"Dobe." He replied, turning away to look at his other teammate.

Sakura had already turned a deaf ear to their little argument, a habit acquired from being their teammate for a few weeks and counting. She looked up and analyzed the sky. It was sunset. She looked at the clock hanging behind the counter. Six o'clock.

"Oh! I gotta go!" She said hurriedly, jumping off her stool and grabbing her pack. "Thanks for the ramen Kaka-sensei! See you guys tomorrow!" And the pinkette disappeared into the night.

"BYE SAKURA-CHAN!!!" Naruto shouted even as Sakura was out of sight. "Hey, Kaka-sensei," He inquired innocently.

The mysterious jounin teacher turned away from his book and looked at the Kyuubi container with a lifted brow. "Yes Naruto?"

"You never told us how Sakura-chan got the bell from you."

Sasuke grunted in agreement.

Kakashi pushed away his mysteriously finished bowl of ramen (no one saw his face…much less him eating) and closed his Icha Icha Paradise. "Well, Sakura's just a very…clever girl."

The boys weren't convinced. "Don't lie Kaka-sensei!" Naruto pointed a finger rudely at his silver-haired teacher. "You have to tell us _everything_!"

"There's no way a genin—much less a _girl_ genin—could have swiped a bell which was clearly attached to a jounin instructor." Sasuke added.

"You do make a point. But here's something you guys must understand." Kakashi nodded and then motioned his students to come closer. "One, Sasuke, you can't underestimate the female race."

"Hn."

"Second, if you really want to know about how Sakura got the bell, try finding out a little bit more about her."

---------------

The next day was dedicated to a hardcore training session. Team seven, minus Kakashi, assembled in their usual spot and started sparring.

Sasuke and Naruto started, attempting to kick and punch the other. Sakura settled under a large oak tree and watched them fight.

"Yo." Kakashi appeared on a branch of the oak tree in a cloud of smoke. "Sorry I'm late, I had to stop and save a poor, innocent—"

"LIAR!" Naruto and Sakura shouted at him in unison. They were tired of Kakashi being late. All he did anyways was read his stupid Icha Icha book.

"Anyways, why don't we start?"

"We already started without you Kaka-sensei!" Naruto explained childishly.

"Well then, Naruto, Sasuke, take a rest first. You two looked tired." He pointed out.

"But I'm just fine!" Naruto protested. "And teme, well, he isn't as in good condition as I am, but he's still--"

"Dobe! I'm in as good shape as you are." He said smartly.

"You're just saying that because you knew I was winning." Naruto stuck his tongue out immaturely.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"YES!" Naruto ended angrily. "You saw it, right Sakura-chan?"

Sakura snapped her head away from the fight and decided to start at a little bluebird flying to the oak tree.

"Enough you two!" Kakashi interrupted angrily. "Sit down."

"Sensei, what about Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"She's going to fight me."

At that statement, all three genin turned to look at their sensei in disbelief. His eye was turned in its upside down U, showing that he was clearly amused.

"_Her_ fight _you_?" Sasuke asked, on the brink of exploding. It was unbelievable. He was Uchiha Sasuke, the survivor of the Uchiha massacre, top student at the academy. He mastered the fireball jutsu in his first year as an academy student! Why wasn't he the one challenging the mighty and mysterious sensei?

"Why not?" She asked. "Is it because I'm a girl?"

Kakashi stared at his unconvinced raven-haired student before he could respond. It was quite simple; he couldn't understand why the Uchiha prodigy couldn't get it. "Yes. Sakura will spar with me."

It wasn't just a simple training exercise though. Kakashi needed to find the extent of Sakura's abilities as a Haruno kunoichi. They were very uncommon, even during their reign as the top clan. The last that he knew of was Sakura's own mother, Haruno Haruka, but she retired as a chuunin to take care of her daughter on the farm.

"But, Kaka-sensei, it's not fair!" Naruto defended his teammate violently.

"Let's see what Sakura has to say about it."

All five eyes turned to face the pink haired kunoichi. She just stood there, motionless and silent.

"Sakura?"

She smirked as she lifted her head to face her team. Her eyes were soft and warm, but were determined and alert. Her arm worked its way to her pouch on her thigh and pulled out three shuriken. "Let's do this Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Then let's go." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke as Sakura made her way to the middle of the clearing.

The jounin appeared again a few meters away from his student, hands still in pockets and head in the clouds.

Sakura threw the shuriken in the air, making them spin as she rapidly formed hand signs. "Wind Cyclone Jutsu!" She shouted as a tornado formed around her, causing her to disappear into it.

The shuriken remain spinning as Kakashi took a defensive stance.

"_One, you can't underestimate the female race." _

His own words rang in his mind. He can't forget the day Sakura became the victor over him just because he let his guard down.

The shuriken suddenly vanished, but quickly reformed in a triangle around Kakashi. A voice in the wind whispered softly: "Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!"

Three Sakuras formed from the shuriken in a flying kick position, all headed for the cornered teacher. Unfortunately, Kakashi leapt out of the way and landed gracefully on a branch.

"You'd have to do better than that Sakura." He said. Maybe he overestimated Sakura. She was just as careless and headstrong as the other genin.

The other two Sakuras disintegrated as Sakura stood alone on the clearing, head down facing away from teacher, but her arms were stretched wide. She pulled her arms toward the center, crossing them away from each other.

A loud cracking sound came from nowhere—and everywhere. The branch Kakashi squatted on, and many other branches, came crashing down. He jumped just in time, and spun in the air fancily. He landed in the middle of the clearing as a flash of pink flew into the trees.

Sakura was one tough girl. Maybe Kakashi—and everyone else on team seven—had underestimated her.

Sasuke has never seen fighting like this before. Sakura was a shy, timid little girl who always and only stuck with Ino, her protector. She wasn't the best in taijutsu or ninjutsu, neither in any physical subject. And yet here she was, battling a jounin and possibly winning.

Sakura circled in the trees, jumping from branch to branch trying to find the perfect angle to strike. There was this jutsu she had just perfected, and wanted to see it in combat.

The angle was perfect. Kakashi couldn't see her or sense her. She must thank Iruka-sensei for teaching her that chakra concealing jutsu later.

"Petal Meditation Jutsu!"

Pink petals fell from the sky. Kakashi grew weary and tired. The petals danced to a soft lullaby, composed of the soothing ruffle of the leaves and the song of the bluebird.

Naruto watched in awe as their teacher spun in a daze around the clearing. He was on the brink of laughing out loud when a voice shouted "Earth Paralysis Jutsu!"

The feet of the mighty jounin clamped inward to the ground…or at least, felt like it.

"Fire Lotus Dance Jutsu!"

Kakashi watched as the petals transformed into blazing fireballs. The thousands of little suns spun around him, drawing closer and closer…

'_Kai!'_

The word was inaudible. He couldn't bring himself to say it. He could already feel the searing heat of the fireballs digging into his skin.

Sakura ran around her teacher in a blur. Her shoes were probably breaking under the friction of the speed. She could feel the tension as she circled Kakashi, inserting blasts of burning chakra into his body.

She stopped suddenly, coming to face the masked man. She could see the sweat dripping from the patch of skin that peaked out from his mask, his shoulders dropping and his head was head low. Sakura inhaled and blew a soft wind onto Kakashi, causing him to fall over in a shriek of pain.

She knelt down beside him and touched his neck. "Kai!" In an instant, Kakashi woke up, gasping for breath.

"Sa-sa-kura-a…" He managed to say. His breathing was heavy and his heart was palpitating from the shock. "How did you…"

"I'm sorry Kaka-sensei. I didn't know that jutsu's full effect on a person like that." She explained innocently. Sakura got up, then picked up her teacher by the arm.

"It's okay." Kakashi regained his regal stance and straightened up, brushing the dust off his slacks. "Good fight."

"YEAH SAKURA-CHAN!! THAT WAS SO AWESOME!!" Naruto shouted and he and Sasuke made it to the clearing. "YOU ACTUALLY BEAT KAKA-SENSEI!! YEAH, YOU BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HIM!! BELIEVE IT!!"

Naruto ranted on about how cool her sparring match was 'cool', 'awesome' or 'totally coolly awesomely cool'. He and Sakura started walking back to the sitting place as she silently ignored his voice.

Kakashi and Sasuke stood in the same position: hands in pockets with the weight shifted casually to the heels. They watched their teammates walk away.

"Sensei." Sasuke piped up, interrupting their silence.

"Yeah?" He replied in a questioning tone.

"Why did you want to spar with her?"

"Like I said Sasuke, if you want to find out on how she does it, get to know her more."


	6. Chapter 5: Ready, Set, GAHHH!

**A/N: An update, as promised. THANKSIE to all my reviewers, as little as they may be.**

**disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I jus like playing with plushies. :)) But I do own this fic. NO STEALING.**

Sasuke sat alone at the former Uchiha compound, not exactly enjoying a sleepless night. Something—no, someone—was bothering him.

"_Get to know her better."_

What did Kakashi mean "get to know her better"? Sasuke was a loner: it took a long time for him to build that reputation. And now, his deranged perverted sensei wanted him to get to know a _girl_ better? As if.

He had to study her. Her every move—walk, run, skip, word, hug, hi-5, hair flip—was important evidence and a step closer to figuring out her techniques.

He _will_ find out the secret of her ways, the techniques she used, to ensure that it would never happen to him.

---------------

Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura sat on the pinkette's couch, sitting in excitement as they watched the new episode of _Gossip Girl_. It was late afternoon, and they enjoyed this unwinding session after a long week shinobi-ing.

"I hate Blair." Sakura commented. "She's…bitchy, and yet she and Chuck would do anything to protect Serena."

"Do you think Nate's cute?" Ino asked, ignoring Sakura's comment while popping another piece of cheese popcorn into her mouth.

Sakura did the same as she pondered on the question. "I'm not sure. He has this strange charm but has this bad guy kind of thing going on."

"Speaking of bad guys… do _you_, Haruno Sakura, think that your teammate, Uchiha Sasuke, is hot?" Ino asked, smirking at the thought of Sakura gushing about her teammate. The blond was so over him—she deserved better than that lame straight-faced genius anyways.

Outside the window, Uchiha Sasuke sat, eavesdropping on the girls' conversation. At that point, nothing could hint her secret to power—or that she was powerful at all.

Maybe Kakashi just gave her the bell. Maybe he pitied her being the only girl on the team, especially with the Kyuubi container and the Uchiha survivor with her.

"No." Sakura sternly but calmly answered.

Ino sighed. If only Sakura knew how pretty she was, she would have the confidence to actually like a guy. "Nevermind," she breathed out. Suddenly, she jerked upright. "Forehead, what date is it today?"

"Friday the 16th. Why?" Sakura questioned innocently.

Ino quickly jumped off the couch and grabbed her jacket. "Shit! My grandparents are supposed have dinner with us tonight!" The blond quickly ran to the doorway, just barely stopping to shout a goodbye to her friend. "See you tomorrow Forehead! ILY!"

Sakura was left alone, sitting on the couch. She switched off the television and started cleaning up the popcorn and soft drink cans.

Sasuke watched intently, knowing that her silence always gave away a hint of seriousness.

Sakura finished clearing up the bowls and glasses off the coffee table. She exited the room, but returned again with great speed—with her kunai at hand.

"I know you're there Sasuke." She said, looking out the window.

'_Shit. How'd she know?'_

"I can sense your chakra. If you really want something, all you need to do is ask."

The Uchiha had too much pride to show his face to Sakura, but his dug for a pad and pen. He scribbled legibly his question and let the paper fall gently onto her windowsill.

_What did you do to get the bell from Kakashi?_

"I used my ninjutsu. Duh." She spoke to her invisible teammate.

Another paper fell in front of her.

_WHAT jutsu did you use? They were different._

Sakura stared at the paper intently before reproaching. "Why do you want to know?"

_Because._

She took a deep breath, trying to fight the tears before the explanation. "It's my family's technique. Sort of a kekkei genkei. I would tell you more, but that's all I'm allowed to say."

And the window shut closed.

---------------

Catching a cat was a D-ranked mission. Catching _Tora_ could've been S-ranked. 3 hours spent on tracking a kitten was too—in Shikamaru's words—troublesome.

"I'm in position." A low, calm voice spoke over the communicator.

"So am I." A soft, feminine voice added.

"I got a lock on the target." The third voice, a trying-hard-to-be-cool one, answer.

"Ready."

"Ready."

"HIYYYYAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A flash of orange pounced onto an unknowing cat in the middle of the street. Tora, the cat, ran away just in time before Naruto was able to catch her.

Tora put up a good fight, causing Team 7 a huge workout around the village. Eventually, after angering pretty much all of Konoha, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke caught Tora.

"Why do we have to do bogus missions like these?" Naruto complained in front of the 3rd Hokage. Tora's owner had just left, completing another D-ranked mission.

Sasuke and Sakura secretly agreed. The three genin—and even Kakashi—were getting tired of all these petty tasks. Sure it earned them money, but they needed experience as shinobi outside the village, not just random chores a simple civilian could do.

"I mean, I'm a shinobi! Why would I want to do little stuffies like that?" Naruto continued complaining, his speech droning on for another ten minutes.

"NARUTO!" Sarutobi, the 3rd Hokage interjected before Kakashi could control his hyperactive student.

Said blond looked up to the geriatric and shut up.

"If you really want something else, I can give you a simple C-class escort mission."

At his words, the faces of the three genin seemed to lighten up. Kakashi was visibly excited for some special training with his team outside the village, but didn't totally hint it.

"Mister Tazuna?" Sarutobi beckoned. Out of the sliding wooden door behind them, an old, drunken man in khaki shorts and a brown muscle shirt walked it, holding a half-empty beer bottle.

"These are my protectors? A couple of kids?" The man, Mister Tazuna questioned.

Team seven was taken aback in shock. _'This was our client?'_ They were tempted to shout. And Naruto gave in to the temptation.

"And the short one looks idiotic." Tazuna added.

Naruto just laughed. "Who's the short one?!"

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other. They were both of normal height, not supposedly short.

Then they looked at Naruto who was laughing it up. "Hey, what are you guys looking at?"

"Er…Naruto?" Sakura asked, gesturing with her arm over her head and moving it over the blond boy how much taller she was than him.

The smile on the orange clad ninja's face faded away. He looked to his sensei for some reassurance, but all he did was shrug and turn away.

---------------

Sakura, Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto and their client, Tazuna, walked away from the gates of Konoha, relieved to finally be away from the shinobi village.

It was their first time outside the village on a mission, and even though the mission was just a simple escort-and-protect type, but they were excited all the same.

Kakashi trudged along at the back, hands in pockets and head in the sky. He watched as Naruto continued ranting to his teammates 'how cool it was to be outside the village', while said Haruno and Uchiha ignored him. Tazuna was in between the two groups, humming along to his own song with a glass beer bottle in his hand.

Suddenly, three black clad nin jump out from the trees. They instantly thrust chains around Kakashi and pulled, spraying blood all over the place.

"KAKA-SENSEI!" Naruto shouted, seeing that his teacher had been violently mutilated and strangled.

The other two genin—both in shock but still sane enough—took their defensive stances. Sasuke started with an attack, while Sakura stood in front of Tazuna with a kunai at hand.

The two attackers headed towards Naruto and Sasuke, one of them scratching Naruto's hand with a knife. The Uchiha quickly hooked a shuriken and kunai onto his and one of his partner's chains and knocked them out with a simple head bash, only to find the third one trying to attack Sakura and Tazuna.

Sakura wasn't helpless. She was about to form the seal of her Earth Paralysis Jutsu, but Sasuke immediately jumped in front of her and hitting the shinobi.

'_Show off.'_ She sneered inwardly.

"Very impressive Sasuke, very smooth." A voice from behind the bushes—an awfully familiar one—said. "You too Sakura."

"Kakashi?"

"How did you survive?"

"I used a kage bunshin from the moment I suspected something wrong." He coolly answered, and then continued, "There was a puddle in the middle of the path but it hasn't rain for weeks."

"So you knew those rogues were hiding the whole time?" Tazuna asked, finally saying something since they started walking.

"Yup." He nodded. "I wanted to see what would happen."

"So you caused all of us a heart attack just to '_see what happened'_?"

"KAKA-SENSEI!? WHAT ABOUT ME?!" Naruto wailed, ignoring the whole conversation.

"Naruto, you got hurt!" Sakura pointed out, forgetting her anger at her sensei.

Naruto smiled, holding up his wounded hand. "Oh, this? It's nothing but a mere scratch."

"Naruto, those chains and knives were poisoned." Sasuke said, ruining Naruto's mood.

"We have to get him to the nearest village before the poison spreads." Kakashi suggested.

"NO! NO! NO!"

All eyes turned to the loudmouthed boy. "If we don't get you to a medic, Naruto, the poison might spread and you could die."

"NO!" He pulled out a kunai and plunged it into his wound. "This is my ninja way! I will not give up on the mission. I will not stall the mission, and I would do everything to complete it! Believe it!" The blood contaminated by the poison dripped out, cleansing the Kyuubi container's system of all the foreign material.

"Naruto," Kakashi called the attention of his youngest student. "That was really cool, what you did and all, but if you lose anymore blood, you're going to die."

Naruto frantically ran around, waving his arms all around. The group stared at him in disbelief.

"Is he really like that?" Tazuna asked.

Sakura and Sasuke nodded in unison.

**READ AND REVIEW. NOW.**


	7. Chapter 6: Fire God

**Dark Days Chapter 6!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

Moving farther away from their home village, Team seven made their way to Mist in silence…if you call Naruto's absentminded ranting 'silence'.

Suddenly, mist filled the forested area. Sakura shivered a bit, feeling something wrong. Sasuke glanced back and saw a man, shirtless in the cold, harsh fog, bandages wrapped around his face just like the mask of Kakashi-sensei. His hi-ate hung twisted on his crown, letting the extra ribbon at the end dangle by his right ear. He also carried this huge sword, which was pretty much as tall, if mot taller, than the already tall, scary man.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura," Kakashi said, taking a defensive stance. "Stay out of this." The usually calm teacher said urgently. "Protect Tazuna at all costs."

The three students nodded, and did as told so, surrounding the client, kunai set. Three small bodies around one large old man, tipsy with beer. A masked teacher obsessed with a little orange porn book and tardiness.

This was a strange battle.

"Hatake Kakashi. What a surprise."

"Zabuza."

'_Zabuza? Isn't he the rogue nin I read about…?'_ The young pinkette thought. The man in front of her was so menacing, the greatest reputation of Mist. When she studied the international history topic (just for fun), she came across this man a few times in her texts.

For the first time in a long time, Sakura was scared.

She was never in this kind of danger. Never threatened. Her life in Konoha has been peaceful, and facing an S-class missing nin as a genin, with no experience whatsoever in combat with large, threatening men.

Lifting his headband, Kakashi revealed a major part of 'The Mystery behind Kaka-sensei's Mask' (A/N: I LOVE THAT EPISODE, just to say): the Mangyekou Sharingan.

'_NO WAY.'_ Sasuke thought. That was HIS kekkei genkei! How did Kakashi get it?!

Sakura momentarily forgot her fear and gave an internal smirk. _**'Ha! That's what you get for being such a prying snoop!'**_ She looked at the Uchiha's stoned face. His onyx eyes were wide with shock, his pale lips open, and his jaw hanging loosely. This was the first and probably the last time anyone would see Sasuke like that. Might as well savor the moment.

Her dazed state was interrupted as Kakashi cried out.

At that very moment—the spill of blood, the scream of Kakashi-sensei—Sakura's whole sight went black.

--

'_Where...am…I?'_

"Sakura…"

'_I feel so…dizzy…sick…'_

"Sakura…wake up."

'_What the…who are you?'_

"SAKURA-CHHHYYYAAANNN!!!"

"BAKA! You don't scream into a sleeping person's ear!"

Sakura jolted up at that statement. _'Yeah, Naruto.'_ She thought. "Schono reamin pwees." She managed to mumble out of her mouth.

"WHAT SAKU-CHYAN!??"

"BAKA!" she shouted back, using the same volume the blonde used beforehand. "I SAID 'NO SCREAMING PLEASE'!!!" She thumped him on the back of his head, hoping to get the moral lesson through his thick skull. "And who gave you the right to call me Saku-chan?!!"

"Anou…Sakura-chan…" Naruto timidly tapped his forefingers together.

"Oh, Sakura, you're awake!" Kakashi mused, entering the room through the sliding wooden doors. His mask hid his features, but his team knew he was ecstatic for the fact that his exposed eye was turned in an upside down U.

"No freaking duh." Sakura mumbled under her breath, struggling to get off the sleeping mat. Rubbing her head, she opened her eyes slightly to reveal a Naruto rubbing his ears, a gleaming Kakashi and a really normal looking Sasuke. "What happened?"

The three males looked at each other, not knowing what to respond.

At that moment, Kakashi broke the uneasy silence with another stern order. "Naruto, Sasuke, why don't you guys check on Inari?"

"But, Sakura-cha—" Naruto tried refusing, but the teacher cut him off.

"No buts." Sullenly, the two boys made there way to the door and disappeared behind it, closing it quietly. Then, the jounin turned to face the pinkette. "Sakura."

Shaking her head just to see if all her organs were in check, she looked up to meet Kakashi's gaze. "Hai sensei?" She mumbled, before standing up completely.

'_She can stand?'_ Kakashi thought. He looked at her, examined her thoroughly with the sharingan. No injuries. None that he could see.

"_Haruka-dono!" Kakashi shouted, watching his teammate burst in a flame of white and violet fire. She wasn't burning, although her petite figure was completely engulfed by the light. He could see her silhouette, a dark figure in the bright flash._

_He stumbled, breathing heavily through his mask. His vision was blurring, but the violet flame was still clear in the distance. _

"_Haruka-dono!" He cried again. _

_Just then, the purple flame continued growing, and imploded in a giant burst of white. Hikari was gone. _

_Or was she?_

_The white light subsided, and out walked Haruka—or at least, he thought so. Her white blonde hair was a flaming red and flew around, even though there was no wind present. Her nin-gear was replaced by a snow white dress that fluttered along with her fiery locks. The most striking thing was her eyes. Instead of cerulean blue, they shone an emerald green. _

"_Katsu."_

_-- _

_When the golden chuunin stirred awake, she found her teammate on the floor, wide-eyed. "Haruka-dono? What was that?"_

_She smiled, but cringed in pain after. Clutching her shoulder, she fell over, draping herself over the silver-haired boy. Her appearance was normal—blonde hair, blue eyes, black nin-gear. So what was that?_

_He pushed her hand away from her shoulder, and revealed the hurt area. There was no blood, just a little reddish._

_Then how did the seal of the Fire God get there?_

"Does anywhere hurt Sakura?" Kakashi asked, breaking out of his reverie.

Said kunoichi stretched, swinging her arms around to test if they functioned right. She shook her head in negation, and gave a unique, true smile. "All fine Kaka-sensei. Now," she pushed her lips into a thin line and got serious. "Kaka-sensei, what happened?"

He hesitated, and then finally, he spoke. "Just your average head trauma. No biggie." He shrugged off the topic and walked away casually.

**A/N: shorter than I expected, but I needed to get this to you—fast. Hope you enjoyed!**

**More clarification: The flashback part happened when Kakashi was on the brink of the jounin exams, so he was still kind of young. Hikari is Sakura's mom, and (as mentioned by Kakashi in the earlier chapter) quit as a chuunin. I think this would be about 14 years ago, so Kakashi is a bit older. Make him about 28…?**

**REVIEW. NOW.**

**3,**

**Bella **


	8. Chapter 7: Favorite

**A/N: LONG CHAPPIE!!! YAY!!! (\~_~/)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.**

Sakura followed after her sensei, awkwardly tying on her hi-ate as she stumbled across the hallway, weak kneed after being out of in for the whole trip. She found herself warped into a rundown yet cozy dining area, consisting of a long wooden table and eight chairs. Scattered around the room were her three teammates, Tazuna, a little boy in a green jumpsuit and a fisherman's hat, and a homey looking woman in a pink blouse and purple pencil skirt.

Naruto stood up immediately, seeing his pink-haired teammate regain equilibrium. He ran to her as she idly pulled on her navy blue sandals and grabbed her wrist, intending to take her to the new personnel in the room.

"Sakura-chan!" He shouted, missing her muffled grunt. He dragged her over to the little boy in the green jumpsuit first. "Meet Inari!" he shouted happily, as the little boy snubbed her with a scoff.

The woman by the sink, Sakura concluded was Inari's mother due to the very close resemblance, scrunched up her eyebrows and positioned her fists at her hips. "Inari, don't be so rude!" she scolded.

Inari turned to his mother with a hurt face, then unhesitatingly bolted for the upstairs. Everyone watched in silence as his little footsteps echoed through the small house.

The woman sighed, but realized she wasn't alone in the room. She plastered a smile for the audience, and turned to face the only other female in the area. "Hello," she said with a convincing tone. "I'm Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter and Inari's mother." She put down the rag in her hands and pulled a pitcher of juice from the refrigerator. She got a clean glass from the cupboard beside it, and poured the orange liquid from the larger container. She set the glass in front of the now seated Sakura.

Sakura, in return, gave a rare sweet smile. This woman was very down to earth and sweet, reminding her of her own mother. "Pleasure to meet you, Tsunami-san. I'm Haruno Sakura, but just call me Sakura." She said as she lifted the glass to her lips. The pulpy liquid quenched her thirst, her throat dried from her restless slumber.

"You must be hungry Sakura-san. Would you like something to eat?" the older woman offered, reaching back into the refrigerator and pulled out some ingredients. "You were out of it for quite a while."

Sakura nodded eagerly, hearing her empty stomach grumble. "How long was I out anyways?" she asked, sipping from her juice glass.

"About a day and a half." Kakashi answered, leaning the crutches (that Sakura only recently noticed) on the table.

She continued with her drink, and the whole group received rice balls afterwards. The table was full Naruto and Sasuke's bickering, and any noise aside from that was just some light chit chat.

"By the way, we're training later."

--

In the middle of the forest, somewhere on the farther side of the village, was the clearing that team seven chose to train in.

The grass was damp, and the air was thicker and denser than Konoha, very unlike the population in this particular village. The trees were similar to the ones in the team's home village, being the most common around. They were tall, rising to about 50 feet in the air, and Kakashi closed a quarter that height walking on the side of the tree after Sakura's chakra lecture and ended hanging upside down on a branch, crutches and everything.

The three genin watched their sensei in awe, seeing as he didn't break a sweat as he did so. "Your turn," Kakashi said, throwing three kunai on the ground in front of them. They stared intently at the weapons, not knowing exactly what to do with them. "Use them to mark where you reached." The masked man stated clearly, and gave the signal for the students to start.

Sasuke was the first to lunge forward and grab the nearest kunai. He poured chakra to his feet, then dashed to the nearest tree. The Uchiha ran up successfully, but made it only to about seven feet before he exerted too much chakra and bounced back. The pissed off look on his face was priceless. His pink teammate smirked behind his back, holding back a giggle.

Naruto was a hopeless case. He followed as Kakashi said, and yet he barely made three steps up the tree.

"Kakashi-sensei, is this correct?" She called out, making all three males turn to the farthest tree where Sakura sat and waved proudly. She was sitting on the highest branch, past the canopy of leaves, swinging her legs around childishly. "This was easier than I thought!"

The masked man looked up, shielding his eye from the glare of the barely-there sun. "Come down Sakura! That's really great!" He shouted back. He was proud of his student, knowing that only Sakura could've gotten there on the first try. He decided to take it to his advantage, and push the other genin. "Guess the one who got it first was the girl on the team! Maybe someone one this team is destined to be Hokage! And I guess the Uchiha clan isn't as great as I thought either."

She ran down trunk, then jumped gracefully the rest of the way. She landed in front of her three teammates, who were all staring in awe. Hearing Kakashi's comments on her chakra control, she couldn't help but smile.

"Sakura-chan…?"

--

Days later, after alternately watching over Tazuna building his bridge, Naruto and Sasuke have made it to the top of their trees. They marched in the dining room tired but proud of themselves, carrying each other to the point of actually fainting **(A/N: Yes, SASUKE FAINTED O_o)**. Kakashi and Sakura carried them to their room, letting them rest for the night.

Sakura could finally shower in peace. The boys were knocked out, so she could occupy the bathroom without the sudden intrusion of either of the two.

She unzipped her dress, revealing a black razorback undershirt and her dark blue shorts. The pinkette tied her long hair into a loose bun, having already removed her hi-ate. Letting the water run, she inspected herself in the mirror. She felt around her back for new cuts or wounds, knowing that the trip was rigorous. Kakashi told her the whole story. Gato was a wealthy businessman who technically 'ruled' the little village of Tazuna. The bridge that Tazuna is building will disrupt Gato's reign on the land, for it will be open to trade and colonization by the mainland. His power will be cut, and he can't solicit money from the people, thus, breaking free from the poverty the stout man had started.

Tsunami told her the source of little Inari's grief. His 'father' was a man with individualistic views. Kaiza believed that all this poverty, theft, abuse and suffering could end if they all could gather the courage to stand up against Gato. He was the one who taught everything the young boy about freedom, all the skills one needed to defend their country with honor and respect. Kaiza was a hero, sacrificing himself to Gato. But after he died, the village lost hope. No one could stand up to Gato, not after his demonstration with Inari's father. Inari was a believer, now he's just a hypocrite. _"There is no such thing as a hero…"_ He said.

There was one thing no one was telling her though—what was the seal of the goddess of creation, Izanami, doing at her nape?

She bolted out of the bathroom, not caring if she was only in her under shirt and shorts. In her hand was her side pack. She ran towards to front door, the sting of the chill creeping up her back. Her eyes tearing as she made her way to the dock. She ran past an also tearing Inari, but didn't bother to ask why. Finally, she found her sensei, lost as always, hanging his legs of the dock as if all his troubles were gone. He was going to gain one—an especially big one—right now.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She cried out. Her teacher turned to face her, already sensing her anger and angst way before she left the house. "You knew all along, and you didn't tell me!" She continued. Tears ran heavily from her eyes as she collapsed to her knees. The girl twisted her back and pushed away stray locks from her neck. "You know what this is, and you know what the mark was on Haruno Haruka's shoulder was!"

Kakashi's eye looked bored, but his jaw tensed under his mask. The thin cloth may not be very thick, but that immediate tension was evident even in the dark. He stared at his student, eye filled with concern and guilt. She knew that Haruno Haruka was an acquaintance of Hatake Kakashi. Sakura knew that Kakashi was the last mission partner Haruno Haruka had.

When she calmed down, she opened her pack and pulled out a mission scroll. It was yellowed with age, and the seal was broken as if it was opened numerous times. "She gave this letter to me right before the second attack. She told me to destroy after reading it, but I couldn't..." She trailed off, not knowing how to continue. She started fiddling with the silver circle that once glued the flap shut, opening and closing it repeatedly. "She specially asked the Sandaime to put me under you specifically, because she trusted you enough take her child under your wing."

"_Kakashi?" The blonde called him, carrying her grocery bags while running to catch up with the masked man._

_The said silver-haired man turned to see the source of the voice was his old mission partner, Haruka. "Sempai, what are you doing in Konoha?" He asked. It was unlikely to see the woman in Konoha after she moved back to the outskirt estate of her parents and got married._

_Her lips pressed together to form a line as she walked alongside her old friend. They settled for a small tea shop by the road. After they sat down and ordered their drinks was when she finally spoke. "I think you know Kakashi." _

_He knew very well. _

"_Sakura is a growing girl, a potentially powerful kunoichi. You, of course, know that." She said, slowly sipping her jasmine tea. "Kakashi, I can't trust anyone else in this village. After…that night…" she paused to sigh, breathing in slowly as if trying to fight back the tears. "He could come for me anytime. I don't know who to turn to. And since you know the whole story, why I left and what Sakura can possess,"_

_He looked at her, trying to comprehend with her instructions. He placed a gloved hand on her frail white one and gave a reassuring nod. "I'll take care of her, Haruka-sempai."_

"And even though I trust my sensei with my life," She continued, hugging her knees closer to her body. "And yet you can't trust me with the truth about my own self?"

Water leaked rapidly from her eyes, unstoppable even with her hand constantly attempting to blot them out. She grasped the scroll tightly in her hand, almost to the point of breaking it. Yet she stood up and managed to delicately replace it back in the pack. Regaining a regal stance, shoulders rolled back proudly as Ino had taught her to do.

"I'm sorry sensei. I poured this all on you." She started making her way back to the house, with great posture but with sluggish pace.

Kakashi was already standing before she turned. "Sakura," He called out. The teacher stood up straight, having been healed the day before.

She stopped, hearing her sensei beckon. "Hai Kaka-sensei?"

He hesitated, contemplating if it was the right time to tell her. Finally, his decision was made.

"You know as much as I do. Haruno Haruka has the seal of the fire god on her shoulder. She was the purest member of age in the family, favored by the gods, as most Harunos were. After she died, no one else could take her place as the 'chosen one', for you weren't of age. That day, during the attack, you were called out by the spirit of Izanami, and you were able to utilize her powers for the battle. You three were able to distract Zabuza, long enough for the hunter nin to strike him. But even before, you would glean her power in small quantities, like when you were able to retrieve the bell from me. I guess it all was somewhat like a time bomb, am I right?"

She nodded slightly, having known most of the information her sensei explained just before. "Hai," She said softly, trying not to reprimand the older man.

Kakashi tilted his head in reconciliation, his cheek protruding from the mask indicating a smile. "So why do you need me?"

--

Inari sat in the corner, too troubled to even make it upstairs. He tried wiping the tears away. He wanted to stop crying, he was truly fed up with weeping in the background. He needed to do something for his pitiful village, but what?

The front door opened gently, revealing the pink haired ninja assigned to take care of his grandfather. She looked tired and shaken up, as if she's been crying as long as he had. She gave him a distant smile before walking down the hallway to the staircase.

He watched her silently, trying to give his best stare-and-glare to the girl. She didn't even look like a ninja! She had pink hair for crying out loud! To top it off, she was a girl! She didn't train with the other two, and she came to Mist unconscious! He induced that even girl heroes are overrated. There was no such thing.

Suddenly, he heard rushed footstep from down the hall. Not bothering to stand, he tensed up his face and tried to look menacing, as menacing as a child could look. Then, he saw the head of pink pop up once more.

"Inari-kun?" she called softly. Without receiving an answer, she walked over to him and opened his small hand. In it, she placed a cold, metal object.

The boy opened his hand to see a silver circle hanging as a pendant on a black leather rope. It was a small, yet meaningful gift. Smiling a little, he realized that not all shinobi have to be powerful, and that Haruno Sakura can do something after all.

**A/N: Enjoyed? REVIEW.**


	9. Chapter 8: Divine Subconscious

**Disclaimer: don't own Naruto.**

Sakura rolled in bed restlessly. It was cold outside, so she wrapped herself with a blanket. Under the layer, though, she was sweating and constantly threw it on and off herself. She has been sleepless the whole night, especially after the incident with Kakashi.

'_Just sleep.'_ She told herself. _'SLEEP!'_

Unable to convince herself, she jumped off the bed and headed for the window. She leapt into the nearby tree and flew with the leaves until she felt like stopping in a large pine.

'_Now I'm tired.'_ She said. The site was peaceful—no lights, no noise, no annoying teammates. _'Just me and Mother Nature.'_ She thought, slowly closing her eyes and drifting into sleep.

'**Exactly.' **

'_Who…the…'_ the pinkette asked no one in particular, mainly just shouting it into thin air. Her eyes flew wide open, but she couldn't see anything. She looked around the landscape. It wasn't a peaceful forest anymore. It was pure blackness with no source of light at all. _'Where…the…'_

'**Oh good! You can hear me now!' **The feminine voice answered. Surprisingly to the young kunoichi, it was _inside her head._

'_Who the hell are you?!' _ She demanded.

A thin film of silver air materialized in front of Sakura, and formed the figure of a woman. She was tall and pale and had a fountain of fiery red hair falling to her waist. Bright green eyes filled with wisdom pierced the young girl's own viridian orbs. She wore a light blue—almost silver—robe that floated along with her. **'Why child,' **she spoke in the same mellow tone voice she heard earlier. **'I'm the goddess of creation, Izanami, of course!'**

The kunoichi was taken aback in surprise. _'A-a, high goddess of creation Izanami…? In my head?'_

The high goddess chuckled, making the younger girl stare in annoyance. **'Weren't you listening to your sensei? I have favored you. Can't you understand Japanese? Com esta Espa****ñ****ol?' **She waved a pale hand in front of Sakura, making the adolescence more annoyed. Sadly, as a high goddess, she deserves no disrespect from a mere mortal.

'_You haven't answered my other question.'_ She said, sending her subliminal message of utter disturbance. _'Where the hell are we?'_

'**In your subconscious of course!' **The goddess exclaimed with happiness and glee.

'_Why did you bring me here?'_ Sakura questioned again.

Reclaiming her divine grace, Izanami straightened up and put on a serious face. **'Business.'**

---

It was sunny—a very rare sight in the Land of Waves. Sasuke has already recovered from chakra exhaustion, but Naruto was sleeping quietly at Tsunami's house. Tazuna was nearly finished with his bridge. Only a few more weeks until Team 7 can return home.

Sakura sat quietly by the edge of the bridge, occasionally touching the back of her neck. She wound bandages under the high neck of the dress, just in case it would peep out of her top. Whenever her dark haired teammate would glance at her direction, she would play with the lock of hair that fell there, as if it was a bad habit.

Suddenly, mist filled the area, dense enough to block out all vision. Dark chuckling filled the air, making the four occupants of the bridge turn to that direction.

"Sasuke! Sakura!" Kakashi ordered silently, knowing his two subordinates would understand. As if they could see when completely blind, the two genin found the bridge builder easily, and surrounded him along with their sensei.

The laughing continued. "Kakashi, what are you still doing here with these children?" The voice asked.

_Zabuza._

"Look!" The supposedly dead missing nin continued, mocking the group. "One of them's shivering!"

Sasuke's kunai spun in his hand, creating a satisfying 'ping' in it. His joints locked together, his eyes widened. Living up to his smug stature, he smirked. "I'm shivering," He brought the hand down and bent his knees. "With excitement!"

In a flurry, he beat all of the water clones in record speed. "Haku, it seems you have a challenger."

"Well, what would you know?" Kakashi asked, shrugging with pride. "I have the two top rookies in my team. And one of them is Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura was shocked at the comment, but straightened her shoulders to show it. Then Zabuza butt in. "Really? I haven't noticed."

That got her uptight. Forming seals, she was about to launch a jutsu when: "Sakura! Behind you!"

She let go of the seal and flicked a few fingers behind her back. "Vine spiral!" Leafy green vines sprouted from the water. As if she was a master puppeteer, she manipulated the dark green vines to wrap around the water clone and smash it without a flinch of her eye.

"Impressive." Zabuza whispered under his breath.

"Hai." Haku answered obediently. "But wait till he sees my specialty." Engaging in combat again, the boy was able to clash his senbon with Sasuke's kunai. "I have rendered one of your hands useless. You cannot form seals." He said blandly.

The black haired boy looked at him in disbelief. "You also have one hand in combat. How will you form seals?" He asked, feeling as smart and smug as an Uchiha should be.

"Like this." And, as if he was just trying to mock his opponent, he formed a sequence of seals with his free hand. "A thousand ice needles!" He shouted. The water rose from beneath them and made thousands of fine needles of water fling themselves at Sasuke.

He barely dodged them, but as her was preoccupied, Haku set another jutsu.

"Crystal ice mirrors!"

--

Kakashi was in a defensive stance, but Zabuza stood casually by him. "Interesting battle," he said.

The silver-haired man eyed his opponent dangerously, but said nothing to him. Instead, he glanced behind him. "Sakura, guard Tazuna."

"Hai."

'_**All my power is yours,'**_

Forming never before seen hand seals with one hand, Sakura released her second jutsu.

'_**And so are those of my children…the five elemental deities.'**_

Izanami's proposal rang in her head, as the goddess spoke seals. She gave orders to form the figures, seals that not even Sakura herself has studied.

'_**I will give you greatness, as long as you become the eyes and ears of the heaven as your mother and ancestors have been before you.'**_

With her free hand, she pulled out a kunai and cut through the bandages of her neck. She revealed the black tattoo like mark, sliced her finger on the knife and drew blood. She smeared the red liquid around her neck and down her left arm.

'_**All you need is your pure, divine, true blood.'**_

"Red Water Blessing Jutsu." She whispered.

The blood on her arm extended to her fingertips and flew off the appendage. The red droops expanded, creating a vertical floating plate in front of her. Sakura made a shield of blood.

Kakashi was amazed by his student. She was only thirteen…Haruno Haruka was already in her mid-twenties when she was able to utilize any deities' power. Apparently, little Haruno Sakura has begun developing the holy power of two of the highest goddesses already.

He quickly snapped out of his reverie and faced the other man beside him. "I'm your opponent. Sakura is the guard. Even if you defeat me, which you probably won't, you still have to go through Haruno Sakura."

Matters on the double mass massacre of the Haruno clan reached the ears of Kirigakure several years ago. Zabuza was no stranger to mass massacres; he studied each one to get the feel of what he should do for a military coup. He analyzed each one, even the Uchiha's. The Haruno clan massacre was one of the most intriguing—no one knew who did it. All bodies were mutilated and damaged to the point of unidentifiable. The last two survivors were the leader's wife and their daughter, but they were attacked as well. News of whatever happened after that were sealed to the file room of Konoha and Konoha alone.

But now, living proof was standing right in front of him.

The girl survived.

He ran past Kakashi and headed for Sakura and Tazuna. The Konoha copy nin warned his student in a shrill shout, and in that same instant, the shield on Sakura's arm transformed into a blade. The metal and blood swords clashed, but the smaller of the two opponents was flung off the bridge.

"Sakura!"

--

Naruto landed on the bridge, popping fireworks as his entrance. He stood proudly on the railing, for his kunai blocked Zabuza from a direct attack on Tazuna. Kakashi sweat dropped, both in relief and anxiety. Fortunately, he knew that the Academy teaches the students to swim during their early years.

He jumped between the assassin and the bridge builder, getting sliced by the oversized sword himself.

--

'**Wake up…'**

'_Where am I…?'_

'**Wake up child…'**

'_I feel…dizzy?'_

'**Wake up…Haruno…'**

Sakura opened her eyes and snapped out of her dream like state. Still, she had a floating feeling like she was…underwater.

'**True blood Harunos don't drown. They fight with all they can, using what ever can protect what is precious to them.'**

A soothing, liquid voice calmed her, refraining the land based kunoichi from crying out.

'**I am Luna, goddess of the Moon and Tide. I watch over all at sea, and everyone who fall under my gaze are my people. Those with my blood and my mother's are my responsibility.'**

'_I thought the goddess of the Moon was Tsukyonomi?' _Sakura asked with a puzzled face.

'**I prefer the English one.' **The goddess shrugged the topic off. **'Wake up and smell the salt! You're underwater!'** She shouted. Trying to snap the young girl out of her unstable mental state, she inwardly shook the teen.

Sakura realized the situation she was in and dashed for the surface. She struggled in the waves, but made it in time for the mandatory inhale-exhale exchange.

'_What now?' _ The kunoichi asked.

'**Like mom said, "I give you my powers and that of all my children blah, blah…". So concentrate all your chakra to your feet and hand and climb on top of the water.' **The deity coached as Sakura obediently followed. The pinkette was amazed. She was standing on water! **'And now for the power part. Form these seals.'**

--

The battle on the bridge wasn't going well for either side. For one, Sasuke was trapped inside a dome of ice along with Naruto, the latter so dumb he wasn't able to comprehend why the hell he should be outside of the dome. Kakashi was bleeding badly, but was able to hold his own against Zabuza. He kept the rogue away from Tazuna, but he was still nervous about the fact his student fell in the water and hasn't resurfaced.

Suddenly, a huge spiraling cyclone emerged from the water. Twisting slightly then bending over, it fell in a huge crashing wave. As the water cleared out, Sakura was seen coughing up the remainder of the water from her system.

'_What the hell? I made worse of an entrance than Naruto!'_ Sakura exclaimed, slowly freeing her lungs from the drowning feeling. _'Water hurts.'_

'**Oh don't be such a crybaby. Commence with the second jutsu.'** Luna commanded. Again, she whispered a sequence of seals to the kunoichi. **'Hands on the ground, then spread all your chakra to the water around you. Oh yeah, get to the bridge builder.'**

"Tazuna!" Sakura cried and ran to the geriatric. He was sitting on the ground, obviously stunned by the violent display of ninjutsu in front of him. The girl was in front of the old man instantly, right before red chakra poured out of the ice mirror dome. Their location was only a few meters away from the dangerous flame, and it wasn't a good sign.

'**Start the jutsu…NOW!!'**

"Moon Guardian Jutsu!"

The water on the floor started gather around the pair, circling them in a cyclone. It rose above them and sealed them in a large dome, protecting them from the flaming red chakra. The dome, meant to protect them, was leaking. It seared the pinkette's back, but luckily never made it to Tazuna.

'**Pour all you chakra into the dome!' **The goddess shouted, causing Sakura to do as commanded. She poured everything into the dome. The red blaze subsided outside, and she was forced to release the jutsu before she was completely exhausted.

The fog was starting to clear, and the kunoichi could make out some distant silhouettes. She could see Kakashi and Zabuza. The first of the two was bent forward, the other held back by a horde of dogs.

On the other side, the crystal dome was shattered. Haku and Naruto were face to face, the latter's face not being so normal at this point. Sakura was closer to them, and could see strange features on the boy. His eyes glowed a bright red, his lip curled into a dog-like smile. His teeth weren't teeth anymore—they were long, threatening fangs.

'…**Kyu—Kyuubi?' **Luna trembled inwardly, seeing the face of the demon host. Suddenly, a plan came to her. **'Sakura, do they teach suppression in the academy?'**

Sakura shook her head in negation, then snapped up when she aught on to the deity's plan. _'You want me to stop Naruto?'_

'**Smart girl. Now listen, run over there and do as I say.'**

'_But…Tazuna…'_

'**Bring him if you have to.'**

Sakura grabbed the bridge builder's hand and ran for the boy. "Stay here." She said to Tazuna, setting him a distance away from the fight. She jumped in between the two boys and faced Naruto. He eyed her carefully and asked her to move in a strange, demonic voice that Sakura knew didn't belong to playful little Naruto. Sakura just glared. "You can't do that…"

'**Kyuubi.'**

She placed her two hands on top of Naruto's chest, then chanted a few inaudible words. The orange clad shinobi was flung backwards, safely away from the fight.

"Why did you stop him?" The opponent behind her asked. She turned to face him and study his feminine features. Bright brown eyes looked sad to her, having 'lost child' written all over them. "My dream was shattered already—I have nothing to live for."

She squinted, trying to comprehend with his words. She softened her eyes immediately, but faced away from him. "You can't say that."

"Sakura-chan…" He whispered her name with innocence and remorse. "…kill me."

**A/N: too lazy to write anything. REVIEW.**


	10. Chapter 9: To die or not to die?

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. SADLY. Now let me go to my little emo corner and cry how unsuccessful i have been for the past ** years.**

**LEGEND (this is a really confusing chapter, just to say)**

"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

**Flashback by Izanami**

'**Goddess'**

'_**both goddesses at the same time'**_

"BAKA!" She screamed, deafening the other teen, although he didn't flinch at all. "Give me a reason for you to die!"

His eyes looked solemn and pleading, as if he _needed_ to die, but he decided to tell her anyways.

"I was born in a village where it always snowed. I lived on a small farm with my mother and father. We didn't have much, but we were happy.

"Shinobi with kekkei genkei were feared, especially after all the wars Mist has experienced. They were shunned and banished. Most of them have gone into hiding, like my mother's family. My father found out about her…our…secret, and…" He swallowed heavily, but then continued. "He gathered all the villagers, marched into our little house and killed my mother. He was about to kill me too, but I…"

He trailed off, and Sakura stared at him, not knowing what to say. As she listened, Izanami was telling a story of her own…Sakura's own story.

**One day, on a little farm by the border, two cousins, one redhead and the other pink-haired, walked home happy and content from a full day of playing. With them, the eldest sister of the redheaded one—Yuki—trailed behind. They arrived at their family estate, a wide, vast land full of animals, corn and rice crops. That was the life of the Haruno clan: a family of simpleton farmers who were happy living with grandparents, parents, cousins, siblings, aunts and uncles. **

**But that day, the three females weren't greeted with the sight of their brothers challenging each other in go on the porch, or their grandmother baking cookies in the kitchen. There were red splotches and slashes on the Cherry Blossom trees that adorned the front lawn. When they ventured further inside, not even lonely little Koori or loud, boisterous Kaede were insight. The hallways were streaked with the same shade of red that was on the tree bark. **

"**Keep still." Emiko, Yuki's sister, instructed as she slid the door of the main dining hall open.**

"**Emiko-onee!" The little girl cried, clutching her sister's dress. "Don't go! I'm scared!"**

**The older sister smiled at her imotou. "Be brave." She whispered as she stepped into the hall.**

**That was the last time little Yuki saw her sister again.**

**The younger of the cousins tugged on the sleeve of her cousin. "Yuki-onee…help me look for my mommy." She asked with pleading green eyes. **

**She nodded and proceeded to hold the hand and lead the way for her cousin. **

**Footsteps.**

**Screams.**

**Blood.**

**It was too much for any of them to handle without shivering and shouting every step they took. They eventually found their way to the head house, where the pinkette toddler's parents lived. "Ka-san?" She cried but no answer was heard. Her cousin followed shortly behind her then stood in front of her to lead the way. After all, she was still the older one even if it was only by a few days.**

**The pair proceeded on walking until Yuki stopped abruptly and shrieked. She stepped on something fleshy and wet, and when she looked down, she saw the body of their beloved grandfather, dead as a doornail.**

**She was going to scream, but a hand covered her mouth before she could. The person tackled both girls and knocked them backwards under a wooden desk. They couldn't decipher who the figure was, but she held her finger up to her lips, demanding them to stay quiet.**

"**Don't move from here." **

"**Ka-san!" The pinkette 'shout-whispered', hugging her mother's neck. **

**The woman stroked her child's hair gently, causing her to calm down a bit. "Hey sweetums. Listen, I need you and Yuki to stay here and stay quiet. Don't move from here. I'm going to come back for you two okay?" **

"**Auntie, what's goin' on here?" Yuki asked, shivering with fear. **

**She didn't answer, but kissed each off their heads sweetly. "I love you girls. Be very good girls, no matter what happens, okay?" **

**The two nodded, and she stood up. The mother produced a strange knife from her pocket and left them. A few minutes later, purple smoke filled the room and materialized into a black clad man with glowing yellow eyes. He held the mother by her golden hair and twisted it around, causing her he shriek.**

"**What will you do Haruka onee-chan?" he threatened. "I have you in a lock, and your girls are just mere feet away. I think the better question is if you can do anything."**

"**RUN!" The woman shouted, and the two girls obeyed. They ran into the lawn, then the forest, leaving the bloody mess that was once their beloved farm and now the worst battlefield possible. It was too much for the children to handle, and they passed out under the protection of the forest trees.**

**--**

"**Wake up honey…" A voice whispered to her, shaking her side gently. "Hey, I'm here."**

"**Ka-san!" The little girl cried. She analyzed her mother carefully. He pale blonde hair was streaked with red, and so was her creamy white face. Her blue eyes were weary and tired, but determined and triumphant. "Where's Yuki-onee?" She asked innocently. **

**The mother turned around to point to the mess behind her. There was the black clad man lying on the forest floor, ridden in blood. The face was barely recognizable, but the girl saw that the man who attacked the house was none other than her Uncle. "Ka-san?"**

"**Sakura," she said softly. "Look."**

**And there she was: Yuki was wrapped in the arm of her uncle, eyes wide open in shock. She wasn't moving, and her usually tan skin was as white as a blanket. **

**Yuki was as good as dead.**

"**We have to go Sakura!" Haruka shouted, trying to pull her daughter away from the scene, but her eyes were glued to her cousin's body. "Sakura!" She persuaded once more, but gave up and just picked the girl's stiff form and ran for it.**

'_**Where can we go?' **_**She asked herself in panic. **

**A voice in her head responded for her. **'Konoha.'

"Then, he found me." Haku continued. "He offered me love and protection, and I became his tool. I don't regret it, but I broke my promise. I'm useless now." His face was full of confidence, as if he truly, really wanted this. "Sakura-chan, please kill me."

Sakura looked up at her name. Her face wasn't surprised anymore. "I…understand. If you truly want to…" She pressed the former wound on her finger, letting the blood seep out. She was about to draw the pattern on her arm, until Izanami stopped her.

'**Wait,'**

'_It seemed you supported the situation.'_

'**No, I mean that you don't need the pattern. That was just to summon Luna. The Red Water Blessing is hers, just to say.' **She mused. **'Check out your right shoulder.'**

Sakura checked it, and embossed on her arm was the mark of the moon. _'Oh wow, thanks.'_

She proceeded to form the seals, and on her right arm was a hand blade made of blood. "Are you sure?"

The boy nodded slightly.

The girl's hand was brought up to where his neck was, but stopped it by grabbing her wrist. "I'm sorry Sakura-chan, but I can't die yet." And he was gone in a flash.

Confused, Sakura looked around. The mist suddenly cleared, and she could see where she knocked Naruto. He was already beside Sasuke's lying body. Tazuna knelt beside them, giving her the conclusion that the geriatric brought them together.

She walked over to her teammates. Moving closer, she could see that Naruto was sleeping soundly, even snoring a little. She was relieved that she didn't hurt him, since she didn't see any wounds. She gave a sigh of relief as she walked on.

"Sakura…" Tazuna whispered as he saw the girl approach. She was covered in water and blood dripped from her hand. Her face was paler than ever. Her pink locks were all tangled because of the water, and she staggered a bit from fatigue. Being a father and a grandfather, instincts kicked in immediately. "Are you alright?"

She knelt down beside her team and nodded. "Yeah. What about…" Her voice trailed off when she saw the dark haired Uchiha. She pressed her hand on his neck, and felt it go stiff. His body was protruding with senbon everywhere, and his face was as white as paper. He was as motionless as a log, not to mention the fact that his chest wasn't moving up and down like a live human's should.

She picked him up by the shoulders and shook him violently. "Uchiha! Wake up!" She shouted in his ear. When that didn't work, she plucked the senbon out of his body one by one. "Uchihas can't die!" Surprisingly, a tear escaped from her eye. "I hated you." She whispered, continuing to pull the senbon out. "I hated you a lot. But please," She pounded on his torso with her fist repeatedly.

'…_Please…'_

'_**Wake up.'**_

At those words, she passes out on top of the Uchiha's torso as he started to stir.

"Sa…ku…ra…" He mumbled, trying to sit up. "You're hurting me." Then he realized she was unconscious on his belly. Her breathing was calm, but she was totally depleted of chakra. Naruto woke up too and looked at the female of the team.

"Sakura-chan!" He cried, then turned to analyze the situation around him. "What happened?" He saw, farther up the bridge, Haku lying on the floor. He lay in a pool of blood, motionless. The orange-clad nin ran to the other boy, saw his carcass, then looked up at his master, Zabuza.

--

I'm not going to write about the death of Zabuza, because the rest happens the same as the manga/anime.

REVIEW. NOW. You guys owe me A LOT of them.


	11. Chapter 10: Chuunin Exams special chap

**A/N: EXTRA LONG chapter for you guys! 10, 356 words! I promised to cram the whole chuunin exams in one chapter, AND I DID! I'm so proud of myself. This took a week to make, y'know. **

**Anyways, the second reason I'm giddy is that GRADUATION is tomorrow. We've been practicing for two weeks, and now~FREEDOM!**

**Enjoy! Oh, and R&R please!**

Sakura awoke to the faint smell of frying seafood. She could hear soft chatter from downstairs. Where was she? What happened?

Sitting up, she found out that she was in a bed in Tsunami's house. Why does this always happen!? She was always the one passing out.

She had to go downstairs to at least announce that she was, in fact, awake and well. She found her team around the dining table once more, indulging in shrimp tempura. Tazuna and Tsunami were there; even a happy looking Inari was conversing playfully with Naruto.

"Hi everyone," She greeted the group in general.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto returned the greeting with obvious glee. The pinkette was struck with the greatest feeling of déjà vu, seeing this happened just a few days back.

Kakashi stood up and ruffled his student's hair. "Glad you're awake. Up for traveling a few hundred miles?" He asked.

The kunoichi stretched a bit, testing her all her joints. She rolled her shoulders, noticing the right one was bandaged. She nodded happily to her teacher, and made a mental note to thank him later. "Yup! How long have you guys been waiting?"

"About a day and a half," Kakashi held up a gloved hand to stop any further questions. "Don't you worry though, everyone needed a little rest, and Tazuna needed to finish his bridge."

The next day, Team Seven departed from the previously gloomy town, and left behind a happy group of villagers.

"Let's call it the Seventh Bridge."

--

Arriving home from the extended mission, Sakura collapsed on her bed. She grabbed the nearest pillow, the one she named Choori. "I missed you!" She said, referring to the pink bundle in her arms.

'**So this is how your house looks like…' **Izanami commented.

Instead of getting angry and in turn having an angry deity in her head, she nodded inwardly. _'Yup. It's not much, but it's okay, I guess.'_

Luna joined the conversation. **'Mom, what should she do with her arm?'** she asked. **'I mean, she can't parade around the village with strange tattoos on her arm.'**

The older goddess considered it. She placed a finger on her chin, then snapped them together. **'Sakura, go to your closet.'**

--

Naruto and Sasuke have been having their early morning stare-off as their female teammate arrived on their bridge. They immediately caught sight of the strawberry colored head bobbing towards them.

"Sa…ku…ra?" Naruto asked. Examining her outfit, he saw a big change. First of all, her Haruno dress was replaced by a long sleeved black blouse version of it. It was still lined with silver, and had the same circle at the back. The sleeves were extended to past her thumb, and opened up like those of a kimono. The bottom of the outfit was a white, mid-thigh skirt with slits all the way to the hip for free movement. To prevent perverted thoughts, she wore black cycling shorts under the white skirt. Her sandals were no longer a dark blue, but a midnight black, just like her headband.

"Hi Naruto! Do you like my new look? I thought I needed a change. Dresses are quite limiting." She explained, flattening her skirt with her palms bashfully. "So, do you like it?"

Naruto's chin was on the floor, while Sasuke made a 'hn' sound before turning away. Kakashi popped in and broke the awkward silence. "Yo," He greeted. "I was on my way, but a little cat was stuck—"

"LIAR!" the orange clad nin and the basic black and white wearing kunoichi chorused.

"Anyways…" He ignored their accusations, and jumped down from the support beam. "I suggested you guys for the chuunin exams." He held out three pamphlets to his students, and each got one. They read it with interest, scanning over the text. "You guys have a day to think about it. If you all agree, go to the Academy room 301."

The silver-haired teacher disappeared, while his genin proceeded to disperse without a single wave to each other.

--

She sat on her balcony, contemplating on the little scrap of paper her teacher gave her.

'_Should I?' _She asked herself.

'**Go!' **Luna cheered. **'Kick some genin ass! With our power, you're already on jounin level for crying out loud!' **She said, praising her godly power.

'**Stop being so self-centered! Our power may be on a high level, but we still have a long way to go! We're in a twelve-year old girl for crying out loud!' **The mother reprimanded. **'Go to your room!' **

'**Ugh! Parents are so annoying!'** Luna cried, stomping off to her 'room' inside Sakura's mind.

Izanami disappeared behind her, and Sakura's subconscious was clear once more. She was left alone to think clearly to herself. _'But I'm thirteen…'_

"Sakura," A voice called out from below. "Take a walk with me." It was Sasuke. _'What the hell would he be doing here…asking me to walk with him?'_

Luna popped her head from her imaginary room doorway. **'Sasuke? OMG he's so kawai!'** She squealed.

'_Great, another Ino…only this time, INSIDE MY HEAD.'_ She looked down at the beckoning Uchiha. _'Something's fishy about this…and I'm gonna find out.'_

…

…

…

"Sakura, you shouldn't take the chuunin exams." Sasuke deadpanned with a serious face. They made it to their training ground, which was currently surrounded by mist.

"Stop bluffing Sasuke. You're not even Sasuke. Why the hell would Uchiha ask me to walk with him? He's perfectly able to walk by himself! Who do you think I am? A mindless fangirl?!" She ranted to the Sasuke-look alike. "Rain-nin." She said, and on cue, a Rain shinobi appeared.

"Konoha shinobi are weak. They have no right to participate in the chuunin exams." He replied, and threw his main weapon—an umbrella—at her.

The girl just walked right through it. "You're not even real. Seriously, why the hell do you think we're _hosting_ the exams?"

The shinobi disappeared, leaving Sakura in the field. The mist started clearing, and the sun shone. The kunoichi sat on the dampened grass, not caring about the white skirt she wore.

'**So you're taking the exam?'** Izanami inquired.

'_You bet.'_

--

Naruto and Sasuke waited patiently at the front door for Sakura. What the hell was taking her so long?

"Baka, Teme!" She called her male teammates as she arrived at the academy. "Let's go!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and uttered the first _actual_ words he has uttered since they arrived from Mist. "Who gave you sugar?"

She giggled. "Not sugar," she explained with a cheerful tone. "…coffee!"

As they got to the 3rd floor, she tapped the Uchiha's shoulder, then gave him a long stare. He nodded.

"Let us through!" A brunette kunoichi was thrown down by a pair of chuunin.

"These tests are too hard for you. Give up now before you loose your lives." He announce to the crowd.

Just then, Team Seven made their way around the throng of candidates. Sasuke immediately stepped in and proceeded with aiming a kick at the attacking chuunin, but a green-wearing, bug-eyed boy blocked the two attacks easily. "Didn't your mothers teach you not to hit girls?" Sasuke asked smugly.

"Lee!" The brunette kunoichi that was previously thrown down shouted at the bowl-cut boy. "We agreed to keep a low profile!"

"It's none of your business." Sasuke shrugged, and moved away.

"Fine," Sakura said. "Let's go Naruto."

"Hey, what the…? Sakura-chan?" He whined.

Sasuke groaned at his teammate, but shot a threatening glance at the two chuunin by the door. "We have business on the third floor."

A green-wearing, bug-eyed boy raised a caterpillar sized eyebrow at the team. "Isn't _this_ the third floor?" He inquired, calling the attention of the three.

"It's a genjutsu." The female of the group stated blandly. "Didn't you notice?"

One of the chuunin tilted his lip. "Very smart." He released the spell on the room, and the number above the door changed from '301' to '201'.

"Excuse me," A white-eyed boy approached the raven haired male of the group. "What's your name?"

The Uchiha smirked at the other boy. "It's only polite to say your name before asking another's," He said, and turned away from the boy.

The bushy-browed one of group, Lee, walked towards Sakura. "You are Haruno Sakura, right?"

She nodded.

"My name is Rock Lee!" He exclaimed proudly. "Let me be your boyfriend and I will protect you with my life!"

Sakura's eye twitched spastically. Her head slowly drifted from side-to-side. "No. Way."

Naruto decided to break up the conversation by jumping in front of the white-eyed boy. "Don't you wanna know _my_ name?" He asked, raising his eyebrows scandalously.

The white-eyed boy shook his head. "No."

The Chinese bunned brunette grabbed Lee by the throat, locking in with an 'L' shape from behind. "Baka, what the hell do you think you are doing?" She asked, gritting her teeth to prevent from a major outbreak. "Neji and I said to keep a low profile! Now look what you're doing!"

Lee didn't mind his teammate. "Tenten-chan…" He sobbed. "Sakura-chan said no!"

"No one wants to know my name…" Naruto moaned, leaning against the wall for support in his dazed state. "Only…teme's…"

Sakura shook her head as the brunette released her hold. "Hi," She said, outstretching her hand. "Sorry for the mess with my teammates. I'm Tenten!"

"I'm Sakura and I guess same apology applies here." The pinkette returned the handshake. "See you on the field." She ended, then turned to her teammates. She yanked Naruto's ear and Sasuke's elbow towards the direction of the staircase. "Chicken-ass! Whiskers! Let's go!"

The white-eyed boy walked to his teammate. "Strange team,"

Tenten nodded. "I agree to the fullest extent Neji."

--

"HOLY SHIT, this is A LOT of people!" Naruto exclaimed, seeing the room filled with chuunin candidates. "I'm gonna come out on top anyways! Believe it!"

Suddenly, six familiar faces appear in front of the team. "Naruto, you baka!" A dog-donning Inuzuka Kiba commented, hearing the blond's announcement. His teammates, Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino, followed behind him.

Another blond rushed towards the fox-boy's sadistic, raven-haired teammate and jumped on his shoulders. "Sasuke-_kun_," she cried in a shrill, high pitched voice.

He tried shrugging her off, but failed miserably.

"I missed you _soooooo MUCH!_" She squealed.

"Troublesome." Nara Shikamaru, the shadow-possession jutsu user commented.

Sakura sweat dropped. "Ah, Ino?" She called. The woman was her best friend for crying out loud! Why didn't she say hi? After another whole minute of squeaky fangirling and sweat dropping, she got fed up and burst. "INO-PIG, CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

The blond girl brought her little head up to face the pinkette. She let go of Sasuke, and proceeded to do the same with his teammate. "Forehead, I missed you too!" Then, she saw she was hugging the color black instead of red. "Sakura, what are you wearing?" The Yamanaka asked.

Sakura sighed. She repeated what she said to her teammate. With a shrug, she said, "You like my new look? I thought I needed a change. Dresses are quite limiting."

The kunoichi analyzed the other one, as little Hyuuga Hinata stepped beside her. "Well, I-I-I th-think you-you l-look n-nice S-Sa-ku-ku-ra chan." She said.

Ino's lip corner twitched as she looked at her best friend's outfit. "I…" The rest of the rookies went silent, waiting for her answer. "LOVE IT!"

--

'_These questions are BEYOND answerable!'_ Sakura thought, looking down on her test paper. The first test was a written one, much to the dismay of Naruto. Problem was, it was also to the dismay of the rest of the rookies. Even she—the smartest rookie in the batch—couldn't comprehend with the little text on the paper.

'**Oh, I know what you're supposed to do!'** Luna exclaimed.

'_What?'_ The deity's host asked.

'**Mom, where's Shina?' **The younger goddess ignored the pinkette's question.

'**Honey, she has to be summoned.'** Her mother said, rubbing her temples.

'**Um…how do you do that?'**

'**Sakura,'** Izanami broke the silence after the moment of contemplation. She whispered a few orders, starting with asking her to draw a line from her finger to the base of her wrist. After forming a few hand seals, another voice joined the conversation.

'**Luna-baka!' **A female's voice barked at the other goddess.

'**Shina-onee, don't be so mean! Say hi to Sakura!' **Luna said cheerfully.

'_Great, now I have three goddesses in my head. Amazing.' _Sakura said sarcastically. _'Just tell me what to do.'_

'**Seriously Luna, I really think you have a personality disorder.' **The newcomer commented bluntly. **'I can use wind to sense the breaks in the flow by the pencil's motions.'** Shina explained. **'Just make the seals I tell you under your desk.'**

'_I don't get it. Someone give me some explanation!' _Sakura was on the verge of ripping her hair out—internally, of course.

'**I like this host. Wants only straightforward talk.'** Shina said gleefully. **'The point of this exam is to cheat. It's to prove that you can collect information.'**

'_I get it.'_ Sakura said, understanding the reasons. _'Hit me.'_

--

The first test was a snap with the help of the goddess of wind, Shina-To-Be (Shina for short). The Forest of Death, though, that's gonna be a problem.

"I need to _go_!" Naruto cried, jumping up and down and clutching his bladder. Before he could unzip his fly, Sakura smacked him on his head.

"Not here!" She exclaimed and watched her teammate run off to some secluded bush elsewhere. _'Che, boys.'_

'**You said it sister.'** Shina agreed as she inspected her nails. **'Be thankful, at least **_**your**_** boys aren't flaming older brothers or younger ones that give off static.' **

The kunoichi shrugged inwardly. _'Blessing acknowledged.'_

"I feel better!" Naruto came back, clearly relieved. Sakura smiled slightly, grateful for the fact that none of her teammates a flaming or electric older brothers.

But something was out of place. Sasuke took the hint. "Who are you?" He said after knocking the intruder down.

Sakura armed herself, following the lead of the Uchiha. Naruto looked oblivious, but chuckled darkly. "How did you know?" 'Naruto' said, inquiring in an unfamiliar voice.

The pinkette explained. "Naruto's right handed. Your kunai pouch is on the left leg."

"To sum it all up," Sasuke added. "You have worse Henge skills that the actual Naruto." He attacked the impostor with great speed, tossing him through the treetops and kicking him in mid-air.

'_Show off,'_ Sakura thought to herself, but let it go. He was an Uchiha, the greatest show-offs in the country. She proceeded to use the wind jutsu Shina taught her to locate her orange clad teammate. To her surprise, he was located very nearby. Some shinobi the imposter turned out to be.

After untying the blond from the bindings, their Uchiha teammate joined them. They sat in a circle and discussed their next steps. "We need something to identify each other whenever we get separated." He stated. "Recite this…"

Suddenly, a huge gust of wind ripped through the woods, slicing the bark off of the trees. The genin got separated by the blow, and only the Uchiha and Haruno scrambled back to the scene. They dusted themselves off before Naruto came running.

"Say it," Sakura commanded, and the blond recited the excerpt perfectly.

Sasuke threw a kunai at the orange clad shinobi. "As if Naruto can recite it perfectly." He said.

'Naruto' licked his lips and transformed into a female Grass-nin, more specifically the one that assisted the proctor when she launched a kunai at the real Naruto. "If you knew that your teammate couldn't recite it perfectly, why use such a long and complicated pass code?"

"I knew you were listening off-side,"

"Listen," The Grass-nin stated. "You want to get our ground scroll don't you? Because you have a heaven scroll, right?" Without receiving an answer, she proceeded to swallow the scroll _whole._ "Now, let's go full on for the scroll!"

She exposed her eye-white, and their bodies froze. Before the young genins' eyes, they were slaughtered by kunai—straight in the forehead. Blood splattered on the forest ground, as they came back to reality. The pinkette was still frozen as her teammate puked the contents of his stomach on the floor.

Both genin couldn't move. They were frozen in place as the Grass-nin brandished two kunai—presenting their death.

'_Have to…move…'_ Sakura thought to herself. She stood and tried to swing her head to see her teammate. He was completely frozen, with no signs of recovery.

When the Grass shinobi flung the weapons at the two, she snapped up and pushed herself and Sasuke out of the path and into the trees. The landed barely alive. Sasuke was still dazed, so she managed to swipe a slap across his cheek. "Wake up!" She whispered loudly.

"Sa-Sakura…?" He asked. "What the hell…? How did you break from the spell?"

She shook her head to check if everything was still intact. "I've seen worse than _my_ death, Sasuke. You aren't the only—"

Before she could continue, Sasuke's pale arm shot out and covered her mouth. "Shh! She might still be there!"

As he checked behind them, she yanked the arm off her lips. "Sasuke, a snake!" She exclaimed. The Uchiha jumped off the branch and launched shuriken at the snake's throat, slicing it into two.

"Go away!" He screamed.

Sakura jumped away, dodging the giant snake completely. _'Sasuke's seriously losing it!'_ She thought. Sasuke doesn't pant as much as this, not even panic. _'Boy, if only his fangirls can see him now.' _

She couldn't enjoy the moment though—the grass-nin grew out of the snake's corpse. She extended her body, just like a snake, attempting to attack Sasuke, until a handful of kunai and shuriken block the pathway.

"Sorry, I forgot the pass code."

"Naruto!" She cried in relief. He stood proudly on a branch high above them. _'Oh thank GOD.'_

'**Why, you can't thank a goddess?'** Shina said smartly.

'_Not now!' _Sakura inwardly shrieked at the deity.

'**Look!'** Luna cried. **'She's not looking!' **

Sakura formed a few seals Luna and Shina fought over fervently, then stopped.

'**What?'** Shina asked, gritting her teeth.

'_What the hell is Sasuke doing?'_

"Fine, I'll give you the scroll." He said.

'**He thinks the snake-person will lay off if he gives the scroll!'** Luna exclaimed.

'_You still think Sasuke's so _kawai…_?'_ Sakura retorted. She released the ice jutsu and caught the scroll before it flew into the enemy's hand. Naruto then proceeded to punch him.

"…did she promise that she wouldn't kill us after you gave the scroll?" Naruto stated, breathing heavily but was determined enough to back sass Sasuke.

"You're right; I'll just get the scroll after I kill you three." The grass-nin summoned a giant snake on the scene. Naruto jumped at it, but a spear of ice attempted to pierce it. The snake dodged quickly and evaded the attack. It struck the branch Naruto landed on, causing the Kyuubi container to plummet to the ground. "Please eat him," The grass-nin commanded the oversized reptile.

Before Sakura could summon the Ice Arm to catch the falling boy, his eyes turned a crimson red, and instead of being swallowed by the snake, he punched it repeatedly with all he could give. A fireball blew him away though, and when he landed on a branch, supposedly unconscious, the grass-nin approached the Uchiha.

"What are you going to do, Sasuke-kun?" She asked.

The raven-haired genius was frozen, a very out of character thing to do. Sakura rapidly formed hand seals for her Vine Manipulation Jutsu, and forest green roots flew from the ground, and wrapped around the snake's neck. Naruto was directly holding back the head, but was pulled up by the tongue of the grass-nin.

Purple flames materialized on each of the enemy's finger, and she struck them on the blond's stomach. His eyes changed from red to its usual clear blue, and he fell to the ground. Sakura caught him by the back of his shirt with a kunai.

The grass shinobi then turned to Sakura and Sasuke. "Now for the scroll."

Before the pinkette could attack, Sasuke activated his Sharingan. The snake disappeared in a cloud of smoke, so it was only the grass-nin and the Uchiha on the battlefield. It broke into a short taijutsu spar, both shinobi being so fast, Sakura couldn't comprehend what was going on. At one point, fire engulfed the area. Wind broke a nearby tree, but Sasuke grabbed the nin and dove head first.

Grossly enough, the grass shinobi melted into mud, and proceeded to attack the Uchiha. As she launched into a pity speech, her robe exploded. The prodigy caught her with invisible wire, forming an intricate web.

'**Sakura, Sasuke doesn't have enough chakra to execute a proper fireball jutsu!' **Izanami cried.

Almost out of instinct, the pinkette drew blood from her thumb as she launched herself in the air above the Uchiha. She unzipped her jacket enough to shed her right sleeve, and drew the traditional line from her finger to her elbow. She formed hand seals as fast as her physically fatigued body allowed her. She ended at the Tiger seal; sucked in all the chakra she had and released the fireball jutsu the same second Sasuke released his.

Before the screams of the grass-nin subsided, Sakura landed on a branch and replaced her sleeve on her arm. As she landed, she caught her unconscious orange-clad teammate before he could reach the ground.

When the flame died down, a large, gaping hole was formed in the bark of the tree. Sasuke fell to his knees in relief, thanking the gods that it was over. Sakura gently set her blond teammate down on the branch and approached the other one. "Are you alright?" She asked him.

He nodded, but his victory was short-lived. The grass-nin broke free from the wires, but her face was melting into a pale, masculine one. He chuckled. "You could use the sharingan eye at such a young age…very impressive." He mused. "Sure enough, you are the one I want." He hand moved from the forehead protector, revealing the symbol of Oto. The Uchiha boy cringed under his gaze, and started screaming in pain. "You truly resemble your brother."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" He cried.

"My name is Orochimaru. If you want to see me again, do your best to past the test. You must defeat my three underlings, the three participating Sound genin." Orochimaru's neck elongated and plated a disturbing mark on the sharingan wielder's neck.

Sakura watched the whole exchange silently. Before she could comprehend what was going on, Orochimaru turned to her. "Haruno is also favorable. Too bad that you already have been claimed." He said.

'_Claimed?'_ She thought. "What the hell?" She screamed.

"Sasuke is going to come back for me. He needs power, and only I could give it to him." He melted into the bark of the tree, and disappeared.

--

Sakura built a shelter by expanding a tree's roots. Both of her male teammates lay unconscious on the ground. She repeatedly replaced wet towels on each of their foreheads. She felt both before doing so, and figured out that Sasuke had a blazing fever and a strange mark on his neck.

She hoped and prayed the duration of their slumber that this wouldn't waste anytime. She knew that Naruto and Sasuke were hell bent on getting the rank of chuunin. She would do anything for her 'boys' to reach their goal. That's what teammates do, of course. At least they still had their heaven scroll. They were halfway there.

One thing still bugged her. What did the snake-man mean by 'claimed'? Did it have something to do with her parents? With her 'ability'?

Her hand trailed past the four marks on her arm. To start with, there was Izanami, goddess of creation and the mom (literally) of the rest of the group. Next was Luna, the goddess of water. She had some bi-polar/ADHD type of disease, allowing her to be serious about the new jutsu in one minute and teenage-girl obsessive over her dark-haired teammate.

Shina was the goddess of wind, and was a sadistic about the world as the same Uchiha is. Then came Luna's twin brother, Ho-Masubi—or as he wanted to be referred to, Zeke.

'_**It's like you're calling me a slut…or a homo…' **_He pointed out. Zeke was short for 'Ezekiel', a synonym for 'blaze'.

Did it have something to do with _them_?

She double checked her joints and energy; a sprained ankle and a bit of tissue damage weren't anything serious for a shinobi who knew basic bandaging, but the lack of chakra was the worst case of all. There was no way that she could defend herself and her teammates in her condition. She needed her rest.

'_One of you, please, please, PLEASE wake up…'_ She said to herself. It was quiet without their constant bickering and foolish remarks. She missed their cockiness, how they challenge each other. But they were clearly 'challenged-out'. She missed Naruto's pointless ramen discussions, and Sasuke's rants about his weaknesses. She missed her 'boys'.

She looked up, seeing light escape through the canopy. It was already daybreak.

When the kunoichi replaced the boys' towels with new ones, she heard something stir in the bushes. She pulled out a kunai. The sound stopped abruptly as the source scurried through the clearing.

'**Aw…! Such a cute little squirrel!' **Luna cooed, seeing the scruffy animal run towards the three genin.

'**Sakura!' **Zeke cried. **'Don't let it come nearer!'**

Without second guessing his judgment, she shot a kunai in front of the poor forest animal, shooing it away. _'Okay, I don't know why you told me to do that, but thanks…I guess.'_

"Still on watch?" A voice called from behind a half-dozing Sakura. She jerked her head up, only to see the three participating Sound shinobi

'_How is that possible?'_ "How did you find us?" She asked. _'I masked our chakra effectively…I hope.'_

"Earth to pinky; have you sensed the Uchiha's chakra signature? It's radiating for miles." The female of the group spoke.

"Now wake him up," The masked one commanded. "We want to challenge him."

Sakura formed a few seals with her hand. "You have to get through me first." She harnessed the rest of her little chakra and vines shot up from the ground, attempting to attack the three enemies. The vines only reached halfway in the air though, and retracted as the Sound-nin jumped in the air.

The spiky haired male standing on a rock rubbed his hands in pleasure. "The girl is mine," _'This should be fun.'_

Before she could summon a Red Water Blessing, a large gust of wind flew through the clearing. _'Crap,'_ Sakura thought. _'That snake guy's back.' _But instead of finding a creepy, pale old dude, she saw the green-clad boy who confessed and offered his love to her—Rock Lee.

She cried his name, thanking _**Izanami, Luna, Shina, Zeke and any other god that can hear her**_ for the bushy-browed genin's arrival, just as she was about to pass out from chakra depletion. On his shoulder was the same squirrel Zeke had accused of being dangerous just a while earlier.

'**Who is the loser?'** Zeke scoffed. **'Does his mom still dress him?'**

Izanami metaphorically pinched the flame god's ear and pulled it closer to her. **'Young man, that boy just saved your host's sorry butt. Don't be so mean.' **She scolded.

The male of the group rubbed his ear in acknowledgement. **'Sorry mom,'**

"Lee," She asked. "What are you doing here?"

"When you are in danger, I will be there to protect you. I swore my life to do so." He stated, setting the squirrel down gently on the ground. _'Sakura-san is very powerful, just like her Uchiha teammate (whom I plan to challenge soon enough), but she is in no condition to fight. She is very low on chakra and looks very tired.'_ He thought, throwing a glance at his pink haired crush. _'I'll show her I can be powerful too!' _ "Now let's get this show on the road! YOSH!"

Sadly, Lee was unsuccessful, thus thrown on the ground with a bleeding ear, even after using his special jutsu. Sakura was still on the floor, but the few minutes Lee had attempted to use to protect her from the three shinobi, she regained a bit of her strength and some information on the enemy.

Both were long range fighters. The masked one used sonic vibrations, while the spiky-haired one mixed wind with his chakra. This gave her no advantage though—she was out of chakra and is now forced to use hand-to-hand combat or simple jutsus. _How the hell was she supposed to do that?_

The girl of the Sound group yanked the other kunoichi by her roseate locks. "Maybe your jutsu would have worked if you spent more time practicing instead of pampering yourself or fixing your hair." She mocked, as her teammates walked towards the sleeping Uchiha.

"No!" Sakura cried in panic, then reached for a kunai.

"You know that won't work on me _honey_." The black haired kunoichi mocked.

"It's not for you, _honey._" She (regretfully) slashed the kunai through her long pink hair, cutting a large portion of her hair off. She immediately went into a hand-to-hand spar with the Sound kunoichi, throwing her back a few feet with her little energy.

The spiky-haired Sound-nin's attention was turned back to the pinkette as her leg was thrown at him. He dodged it quickly and grabbed her right arm. He pushed some chakra in a gust of wind, ripping her sleeve open. She screamed frantically, throwing the Sound shinobi off.

'**Sakura!'** Izanami called her attention to her right arm. It was bleeding profusely, the blood dripping all over her marks. It hurt like _hell_. The kunoichi felt her eyes drooping slightly, from lack of chakra, blood-loss and exhaustion. Her grip was slipping, and she fell to the floor half-unconscious.

--

"Probably only Naruto's team is weaker than us." Shikamaru noted the fact that Team 10 was lost smack in the middle of the Forest of Death.

"No!" Ino backfired sharply. "Probably Naruto, but Sasuke-kun is _totally_ awesome!"

"Hey look!" Their chubby teammate called them to the tree branch. "Naruto and Sasuke are down, and Sakura is fighting!"

"She's barely holding on!" Shika cried.

"We have to…" Chouji suggested. "…help them…"

--

The spiky-haired shinobi approached her limp body. "Too bad pinky," He said. "I think I could have a little more fun with you." He chuckled darkly, and stepped on her exposed right wrist.

She cried out in pain twitching as her bones crunched under the pressure. Before passing out, she felt even colder. Was she dying? Was this that _sensation_ when your life passed before your eyes? _Blood_. Well, that technically is her life.

"Sakura…"

She whined slightly, but there was no light at the end. Something was pulling her back—a voice.

'_Ino?'_ She thought.

"Forehead, hold on, okay?" She cooed.

A few minutes later, Ino was back beside her, on the floor…unconscious.

"Ino…" Sakura breathed out, just barely. "…pig…"

The dark, cold feeling returned. What was it? Well, it's more like _who_ was it?

"Sakura, who did this to you?" A voice, perfectly resembling the dark aura surrounding the clearing. She couldn't answer though, she was slipping. "I asked you Sakura…who did this to you?"

"Me." The Sound shinobi announced proudly. In a matter of seconds, that same Sound shinobi had both his arms broken by a darkened Sasuke. But before the Uchiha could continue with the torment, a scream pulled him out of his reverie.

'_What is that?'_ She asked herself.

'**The cursed seal,'** Izanami explained. **'That was Orochimaru's "gift" to him—a huge yet temporary and not to mention dangerous amount of power. It's hard to believe he actually survived it.'**

'_What's the percentage of survival?'_

'**Less that ten.'** The creation goddess deadpanned. **'You **_**have**_** to stop him, before it spreads completely.' **

'**Oh no! Sasuke **_**likes**_** the power.' **Shina pointed out.

"Sasuke, stop." Sakura called. She was struggling to sit up as the forest floor was dampened with her blood. Her sight was failing quickly, but she could see the cursed purple chakra reflecting off her teammate, and the signature smirk of pleasure on his face. "Stop it."

She grabbed the hem of him arm warmer to keep him still. The seal instantly retracted, and the raven-haired boy fell beside his teammate.

"You proved yourself Uchiha," the bandaged Sound-nin, the leader announce. "None of us can beat you." He set down an earth scroll in front of him. "Think of it only as a repayment. Forgive us for intruding." He ended, picking up his teammate and disappearing.

"What was that?" Ino announced, now recovered from her Mind-transfer jutsu aftershock. Before being answered, Sakura fell backwards on the ground. "Sakura…?"

She was stopped in mid-step by a long, bandaged arm. "Stop," The white eyed boy—Neji—said. He approached the pinkette and lifted her right arm. "Does it hurt?"

With her free hand, she clutched her forehead. "Like _hell_," She cried. "What can you do about it?"

He mumbled something, and his veins expanded around his eyes. "I can use the Byakugan to se the broken bones and reset them temporarily." He explained, pulling bandages from his shuriken pack. "Hold still."

Sakura followed as he washed the blood from her arm using an excess torn part of her sleeve. After he did so, he looked at her with surprised eyes. "Don't ask," She stated, pulling back her arm. She regretted it greatly, for she stifled a silent cry.

"I told you not to move," He commanded, gently pulling back her arm. "Let me bandage it. The bone is nearly completely shattered." He explained, wrapping the white bandages until before her shoulder, protecting the marks on her arms.

She first put on a concerned face and cradled the bandaged arm, but replaced it with a look of confusion then a smile. He dodged the topic completely; _THANK Izanami, Luna, Shina and Zeke. _"Thanks...wait; I don't have your name."

"Hyuuga Neji." He stated, stretching his arm to pick her up.

"Haruno Sakura." She returned the handshake as he pulled her up by her free arm. "Thanks…again."

"No problem."

She walked to where Naruto was recently awoken. "Sakura-chan!" He cried, seeing her new hair. "You cut your hair?" He asked.

She instinctively threw her hand to her hair, realizing she lost three inches of her pink locks. "Oh, I guess you noticed."

Ino waved to her, right after handing Lee to a hysterically Tenten (e.g.: "Lee you idiot! Wake up!"). "Sakura let me fix your hair for you!"

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded, stepping over to where the blond was and sat down as ordered. They smiled at each other and asked the usual _"How are you?"_ or _"Or are you okay?"_ before succumbing to an awkward silence.

--

"We made it." Sasuke commented as they stood in the in the grand room. The seven remaining teams stood in neat lines, one row per team.

"I'm gonna become a chuunin, BELIEVE IT!" Naruto cried once more, only to be thunked on the head by both his teammates.

"I'm just thankful all of us made it out ALIVE." Sakura added after the Hokage finished his speech.

After a few moments of explanation by a sickly proctor, the genin climbed up the stairs to watch the preliminary rounds. Sasuke was up first against a masked Konoha shinobi dressed in all purple. The matched was finished quickly with the Uchiha being the winner and quickly spirited away by their silver-haired jounin instructor.

--

Lots of matches passed, and Sakura happened to come out of the comfort room to find out that she was up against Yamanaka Ino: Her best friend, her inspiration…the girl practically taught her everything she knew.

The two stood in the middle of the stadium, face-to-face and waiting for the cue from Hayate. "Go,"

The two approached each other with great speed, entering a taijutsu spar quickly. A few flying kunai and shuriken, a bit of punching and kicking, and the audience was quickly bored.

"Ino!" Sakura cried, halting the blond from her attacking.

"What forehead?" She asked.

"Don't go easy on me." She deadpanned.

The blond's eyes were widened in surprise. She couldn't show that she definitely wanted to go all out on the pinkette, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Imitating the change of headband position motion, she lifted her head and laughed. "How could you go full on? You have a useless arm!"

The pinkette laughed. "Like Shino said: keep your trump card until the end."

Said Haruno formed the _one hand _seals of the Vine Arm Jutsu and attempted to catch the blond, but she was too fast. Ino dodged quickly, losing her breath immediately. _'How the hell did pinky do that?'_

Sakura nicked her thumb and initiated the Red Water Blessing Jutsu. The blood seeped out profusely out of her thumb, only to form a hand blade. She was able to catch the arm of the mind-walker, slicing a long cut through her forearm. "What the fuck!"

The blue-eyed kunoichi formed the seals of her Mind-Transfer Jutsu, only to be quickly retorted. "The Mind-Transfer Jutsu only works in a straight line. If I move, your spirit can't catch me, and won't return to the owner for a few minutes."

Ino, clearly aggravated, pulled a kunai from behind her. "You know what, since you have a new haircut, I think I should get one too!" She brought the kunai to her ponytail and threw the chunk of long, blond hair on the floor in between them.

Sakura lifted an eyebrow, and stepped back. "Okay, you have _definitely _lost it." She commented.

"Lets see my jutsu work now!" She cried, sending chakra through the discarded hair on the floor through her feet, trapping the pinkette's ankles in a lock. Again, she formed the seals to her family's special jutsu, and launched it at the pinkette.

'_Ha, Sakura! Now I'm inside your head! It's so cramped inside of here!' _Ino thought upon entering her best friend's mind. _'Now, to win this match so I can impress my Sasuke-kun!'_

Outside, Sakura's body was working against her. She was hesitatingly raising her left arm. "I,"

'**Get. Out. Now.' **A demeaning voice, or _voices_ put together, commanded the blond kunoichi.

'_What? Who the hell is that?'_ Ino thought, searching around the vastness of Sakura's mind.

"Haruno Sakura," 'Sakura' continued.

'**Your worst nightmare…' **It spoke, then pushed out the mind-walker.

"What the EFF!? Entering a person's mind is so not cool!" Sakura cried, clutching her head in pain. "That hurt!"

Ino, clutching her own head, backfired. "How the heck did you throw me out? It's like you have another soul or something."

The pink-haired kunoichi twitched slightly. "I have…five." She explained, lowering her head. "And I'm going to show you what they can do."

Unwrapping the bandages until the wrist and removing her jacket, she revealed the four marks scattered on her arm. She formed a few (one hand) seals, and more vines shot out from the ground, wrapping the blond kunoichi and suspending her in the air. Ice shot out from under her, creating pointy, dangerous spikes. To add to the already demented scene, fire rose from the ground, barely licking her toes.

"I give! I give up!" Ino screeched, and she was set down lightly. "How could you…?" She cried.

"I'm sorry Ino…! I'm so sorry!" Sakura apologized profusely.

"No!" The blond screamed. "No! It's just that…how could you be so powerful?! You used to be so tiny and weak! You surpassed me! Everyone looks at you all the time; you're pretty and the top of the batch. Now, you're powerful? You were even put on the same team as Sasuke-kun! How could you…" She mumbled. "How could you surpass me!?" She finished before falling unconscious in her sensei's arms.

Sakura was frozen. Ino was _jealous_ of her? Impossible. She had always idolized the blond and blue eyes girl like a goddess. She was pretty? Ino was definitely loosing her mind.

The pinkette fell to the ground in shock, yet her back was caught by the outstretched knee of her teacher. In front of her eyes dangled her black jacket and she took it after she replaced the bandages on her arms. "Thanks sensei,"

"Do you need a medic?" He asked, yet still not looking up from his novel.

She shook her head and stood up, just to prove her point. "No, I'm fine. I want to watch the other matches." She said, and made her way up the stairs. She was greeted with the praise of her teammate and friends, but soon after sat on the ground with her head leaning on the wall.

--

"Hyuuga Hinata vs. Hyuuga Neji" It read on the screen.

Neji stepped up, followed soon after by the shy rookie. She was previously warned by her teammate to step down without a fight if her opponent ever ended up as the redhead Sand-nin or the Hyuuga.

'_I will not step down!'_ She thought to herself, even after hearing Neji's long speech on the betrayal of the main Hyuuga family.

"Nii-san…" She would quietly mumble, searching frantically for a weak spot in his statement. He would continue without a second thought, saying she was a shame to the Hyuuga clan for being beaten down so easily. Momentarily, the young girl was barely breathing and unconscious on the floor. Her cousin was restrained by three jounin instructors, and some of the other more sympathetic genin were beside Hinata's body.

"Her heart is giving out!" Kurenai, her sensei, called the medics, anger and concern sparking in her voice. She was entrusted this girl by her father personally, and she went of letting her challenge the number one rookie of the previous year.

Sakura watched, feeling a great pain in her heart. She approached the restrained Hyuuga, who was absentmindedly released as she came closer. "Bastard," she whispered.

"Excuse me?" He cried defensively, crossing his arms across his chest.

"You goddamned bastard!" She shouted back, striking him openhandedly on the face. As he was held in shock, she continued. "You have the _guts_ to help an injured stranger, but you can't even spare your cousin from certain death by your own hand? How could you…?"

"You have no right to judge me! Put yourself in my place, abandoned by my own father because of the head's decision! How would you like it if your father was given up mercilessly for the sake of the main branch?!" He backfired. He then gave a victorious smirk as he saw her expression draw back. He's hit her soft spot.

"Yeah, actually, I do." She mumbled under her breath. "Both parents, actually. All before my tenth birthday, so don't judge me." And she walked away.

--

She was in the finals—she had a month to train. Problem was, she didn't have anyone to train her. Naruto already had that white-haired frog dude, while Sasuke was…well, only the gods (or at least, not the ones inside her head) knew where the hell he was. Come to think of it, no one knew where Kakashi was either.

So where was their little teammate, Haruno Sakura, left? Training alone, having four gods which only she can see and hear in her subconscious instructing her.

On the fifteenth day of the month-long break before the final exam, she sat in the lone training grounds, concentrating her chakra to release a jutsu combining the four specialties of each god residing in her. The jutsu called for extreme concentration, all in order to control plant life, water, fire and air without performing multiple jutsus.

She opened her eyes, and fingered the tree branches with her right hand. Her left hand was preoccupied with creating a large wave of water, while air circled her rapidly accompanied with red flames.

'**That's good; now bring the water and the branches to the circle.'** Izanami ordered, the kunoichi obeyed. But before she could complete the full elemental control, footsteps broke her concentration, quickly followed by the chit-chat of three jounin.

"How un-youthful of my rival, Hatake Kakashi, to leave his student to train by herself!" Maito Gai declared, as he saw Sakura training alone in the empty clearing.

Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai, the other jounin instructors of Team Seven's batch, followed soon after.

"Don't blame him," the female of the group contradicted. "After all, his whole team made the finals."

Gai retorted the genjutsu specialist. "But Kakashi must know how to split his attention between all of them, right?" He stated. "It would be very unfair and un-youthful for him to concentrate on one. By the way, which one is he training?"

"Ohayo Kurenai-sensei, Gai-sensei, Asuma-sensei," The young girl greeted in respect for the older men and woman. "He's probably with Uchiha," She answered quickly. "What brings you here today?"

"Well, we're meeting our finalist students for a three-way spar." Asuma explained. "We each have one student who qualified." He said, the students being Shino, Shikamaru and Neji.

"So you're pitting your students against each other?" the genin asked.

"Yes," Gai answered. "We want to see whose student can win this—the winner being Neji, of course."

Kurenai scoffed. "Never underestimate Shino." She scolded. "You men are always picking on my students."

Asuma sighed and turned away from their conversation. "Hey, pinky," He called to Sakura, who he saw was already picking up her gear to leave.

"Yes Asuma-sensei?" she looked up.

"Would you like to join?"

The other two jounin were rendered silent, contemplating on their companion's question.

"After all, it would be unfair if Kakashi didn't have a student in this spar." The blade user said.

Kurenai smiled at the pinkette. "Why not? It would be good to have another female around."

Sakura shrugged. "Sure, that'll be cool." She accepted the offer without hesitating, moving only to put her gear back on her body. She then sat down under a large tree to regain her energy.

Neji, Shikamaru and Shino made it to the training field separately, but somehow all at the same time. They faced their teachers, with their backs to the pink-haired female. The three greeted the senseis accordingly, but didn't notice Sakura until Neji twitched slightly.

"What are you doing here Haruno?" he snapped at the kunoichi.

She smiled gleefully. "Your senseis invited me." She started stretching as the three males gaped at her.

"Seriously?" Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow lazily. "Asuma, why'd you invite her?"

Said jounin rubbed his head lazily. "It seemed unfair to let Kakashi's students out of our little circle."

"YOSH!" Gai cried. "Let the match begin!"

The four genin formed a square, one on each corner. Shino released his kikkai bugs, while Neji activated his Byakugan. Shikamaru attempted to escape through the bush, but Asuma grabbed him by the collar and threw him back into the fight. As he landed in the middle of the fight, he was shot in his vital chakra points and attacked with chakra eating bugs.

"Oh CRAP!" He cried as he crawled to escape the bugs.

Sakura watched. No one attempted to attack her—what to do now?

'**Attack.'**

She tried the full elemental control technique, and summoned large roots from under her enemies, tripping them over.

'**New sister on the way!' **Luna cried cheerfully. Sakura had no choice to draw the line from between the water and fire marks to her thumb. She summoned the goddess of earth, Nai-no-Kami.

The shy, reserved goddess turned mean, brown eyes became a menacing silver. **'Rumble.' **

While the water swerved around her three enemies, the earth shook under them, throwing them off balance once more. Fire burned through the kikkai bugs, and Shika had already escaped from the battle. All that was left was Neji and Sakura on the desolated training field.

"Haruno,"

"Hyuuga,"

They brought out kunai, clashing them against each other. It turned into a deadly taijutsu spar as the two top genin kept trying to outsmart each other. Legs and arms were flying everywhere, as Neji dodged blows and Sakura blocked them, both with ease.

"I need to talk to you," The white-eyed boy stated, dodging a shuriken coming his way.

"Talk later Hyuuga," She cried, blocking a roundhouse kick. She flung her arm towards his ribs, but before it could reach its destination, he grabbed her fist and extended his arm. The brunette proceeded to strike a chakra hole, blocking all the tenketsus in her arm. He threw the kunoichi on the ground, defeated and defenseless.

As she lay there, she thought on how dumb it was to go against the number one rookie of last year. He deserved the few blows she was able to send to him though—after what he did to Hinata, it was all worth it.

"I said 'I need to talk to you'." He stated, offering his hand for her to take. She gladly accepted it and he pulled her up, just as Gai was ranting on how he knew that Neji was going to win.

She dusted herself off, then raised an eyebrow at the Hyuuga. "What do you want to talk about?" She asked as they walked away from the training field. The four have already been dismissed by the jounin, right after Shikamaru was scolded for being lazy and unwilling, while Shino received a pat on the back for trying.

"I already talked to Hinata-sama and said I was sorry." He mumbled, the words lacking his usual pride and glory.

Sakura clapped her hands in victory. "I knew it!" She cried happily, dancing a little and then stopping once she realized the Hyuuga's white eyes were looking at her with confusion. She straightened up. "I'm proud of you Hyuuga; thanks."

--

The genin were lined in the stadium in a single file. As they presented themselves to the crowds, the Konoha kunoichi couldn't help but look back at the stadium doors. _Where were Naruto and Sasuke?_ Were they gonna give up after all three of them have come so far?

When Naruto burst into the stadium with a bull chasing him, Sakura scratched all her traces of doubt. _As if_ her boys would step out now. They were just too damn proud.

After the proctor showed the new line up, the pinkette sighed. She was against Sasuke, her teammate, and whoever won that match would go against the crazy sand dude. _'Whoopee do da fucking day.' _ She thought. Now that Sasuke was late, their match was moved to the second to the last one. _'Now that is just overdoing it!'_ She cried.

"Haruno Sakura versus Uchiha Sasuke" Genma announced, and the kunoichi jumped down from the railed compartment. Again, she looked at the door. If Sasuke didn't come on time, there were three things that would incredibly disappoint the crowd and contestants. One, the warlords were already betting between Sasuke and the Sand guy; two, Sakura would have to fight the Sand guy and three; she wouldn't be able to _kick his ass._

Then again, she was looking at the wrong place. In front of her materialized her sensei and her dark haired teammate, appearing in a swirl of leaves.

"Sorry we're late," Kakashi said with a tilt of the head. "We had to re-touch some—"

Naruto snarled from behind them. "TEME YOU'RE LATE!!" He cried, pointing accusingly at the pair.

"Oh _finally_!" Sakura threw her arms in the air in relief. "God Sasuke, you're turning into Kaka-sensei!" She was ranting with full force, not about him being late, but how jumpsuits were so out of fashion.

Said Uchiha ignored her to crack his knuckles and smirk. "So where's my lucky opponent?" He inquired.

The pinkette shook her head with a lift of the corner of her mouth. "You're looking at her."

He chuckled darkly and turned to Genma. "You're saying that I have to bring myself down to fight a girl?" He asked the instructor.

Genma scratched his head, clearly annoyed with the question. "The winner of this match will fight against Subaku no Gaara." He explained.

"Hn," Sasuke gave his usual answer as he moved into a defensive stance. The others in the arena moved to safer places as Sakura took her own stance.

Genma raised his hand, and signaled 'go'.

Sasuke was the first to attack, bringing out a shuriken the size of his torso. He jumped up in the air and launched it at the kunoichi. After he threw it, his disappeared into the trees.

Instead of dodging the weapon coming her way, she back flipped and balanced it on the sole of her foot with concentrated chakra. She spun fancily and sent the shuriken into the trees. As the black circle spun and sliced through the trees, Sasuke jumped in the air and revealed his position. The pinkette's hands raced through a bunch of seals, and large roots shot up from the ground, chasing the Uchiha. But before they could reach him, he landed on the wall. His hands formed the seals to Kakashi's technique, and electricity blazed on his hand. He ran down the wall with the speed of sound, aiming to attack his teammate.

Down on the ground, Sakura was trying to comprehend what the raven-haired boy was trying to do. She attempted to create the Moon Guardian jutsu, summoning underground water to shield herself. As the dome materialized, a chakra filled fist broke through the barrier, striking her stomach. Lighting surged throughout her body, enticing each of her cells with hundreds of watts of electricity.

The water dome fell, along with its creator. A large hole was created through her jacket and under shirt, showing a flat, toned belly, scorched slightly. She clutched it with pain, and blue electricity still surrounded her.

"Give up Sakura. You've always been too weak to compete, and just like Naruto, you ended up in the finals out of dumb luck." He deadpanned, watching the pink-haired kunoichi suffer the blow of his chidori.

"No fucking way," Suddenly, she recovered and straightened her back. She removed her jacket and revealed a leaf mark on her nape, a water mark on her shoulder, an earth mark on her upper arm, a fire mark right above her shoulder, and a wind mark between her wrist and her shoulder. Where the chidori once struck was the symbol for lightning.

Blue chakra ran from her torso to her arm down to her palm, creating an even more powerful chidori. She ran towards the shell-shocked Uchiha, striking him on his right shoulder. He quickly got up though, recovering from the burning sensation on his arm. One thing raced through his mind—_how the hell does she do that?_

He decided not to fall under her spell now, and commenced with a fireball jutsu. He aimed it at the kunoichi, who in turn simply manipulated the fire and protected herself.

"What the fuck?" He asked himself, as he was suspended in the air by vines. Spokes of ice and rock rose from the ground, along with bright orange flames. Along the vines, lightning ran, approaching the struggling Sasuke slowly.

"You give up Sasuke! You can't take the proximity of my attack!" Sakura shouted.

Sasuke snarled. "No way!" He cried.

"Fine then," She said, sending the electricity faster through the vines and struck the Uchiha. Sakura commanded the vines to set his now profusely bleeding body on the ground as the fire, ice and rock subsided.

"Winner: Haruno Sakura." Genma announced, seeing Sasuke unable to fight.

The young girl was panting heavily from the loss of chakra. "Great,"

'**Good job,'** Said the new guy, Rai, god of thunderstorms and lightning. **'But now, I'm stuck in your goddamned head with a sister with a personality disorder, another one with a dark outlook on the world, one who is so shy, she only talks every two hundred years, a womanizing brother and my MOM!'**

'_Welcome to my life.'_

…

'_Blood.'_He thought. _'Blood…BLOOD!'_

The redhead sand shinobi jumped off the railing and raced for the Uchiha's body.

"What the—" Sakura cried, seeing a flash of red run past her.

"Blood!" Gaara screamed, rushing towards Sasuke.

The Uchiha lifted an eye and saw the bloodlust in the Sand-nin's eyes. Sand started seeping towards him, but stopped suddenly when the redhead clutched his head in pain.

"Gaara!" The blond Sand kunoichi jumped over the railing and ran for her teammate. She called for the black clad puppeteer. "The plan!" She picked up the faint redhead and jumped over the wall. Sasuke was able to get up, despite the electric burns around his midsection. He followed hotly on the tail of the three Sand shinobi.

"Haruno Sakura," Genma called the attention of the other shinobi in the arena. "You are automatically promoted to chuunin. Go after Sasuke and stay in a safe spot until it seems safe." He commanded, and the genin turned chuunin raced after her teammate.

She made it halfway through the forest when Naruto, Shikamaru and a little brown dog caught up with her. "Kaka-sensei sent us to help you," Naruto explained. "By the way, this is Pakkun. He is Kaka-sensei's dog…thing."

Pakkun snarled. "Oi! I'm a purebred, _for your information_."

--

Trees had burn marks and scratches, leading to a desolated place where there were no trees at all. Sasuke was weak and lying on a branch, trying to catch his breath. _'I used the chidori too many times…'_ He thought. _'I've passed my limit of two…'_

Flashback

"_What if I use it more than twice?" Naïve Sasuke asked, panting heavily._

_His teacher, on the contrary, had a hand in his pocket and the other holding an orange book in front of his face. "You can die."_

End Flashback

'_I have to try…'_ He said, forming the seals for the chidori. "DIE ALREADY!" he cried, launching the attack at the bloodlust Gaara. The redhead had one half completely morphed into sand, forming a strange, and animal like face.

Naruto, Pakkun and Sakura landed on the branch, just in time to catch the falling Sasuke, right before Sakura was pushed against the tree bark by an arm of sand.

'_Can't…breathe…'_ She thought, squirming under the arm.

'**Oh my gosh, it's the one tailed demon!' **Shina cried.

'**No way! And he's in full form!' **Luna added, metaphorically running around and screaming.

Izanami analyzed the battle in front of them. **'They can't keep it up! Naruto may have a lot of chakra, but he has a limit, and Shukaku's host is barely alive!'**

Sakura sighed inwardly. _'Stop worrying about the really big sand raccoon and just tell me how to get out of his grasp!'_ She cried.

'**Freeze the sand and break it.'** Shina said.

'**Sand is still earth.' **Nai, the earth goddess, quietly suggested. **'Re-manipulate it.'**

Sakura smacked her forehead internally. "Of course," She fiddled with her fingers until the sand started to melt away. She clutched her stomach in pain. "Damn, that hurt."

She looked up at the battle between a large frog summon and Naruto versus Shukaku and Gaara. She formed a few hand seals, and ice crept up the back of the demon, holding him back for Naruto to deliver his last attack: A head bang.

The kunoichi looked up and smiled. The last thing she saw was the demon sand subsiding and Naruto landing safely on a tree. She glanced down at Sasuke on the branch below, and fell into darkness.


	12. Chapter 11: Out and Awake

Sakura opened her eyes, only to see the white-washed ceiling of the hospital.

'_Great,'_ She thought. _'I'm still passing out!'_ She rubbed her head and the blanket slid off, revealing her baby pink pajama bottoms and grey t-shirt. She could feel bandages wrapped around her waist, and saw it extend down both her arms and up her neck.

She looked up from her body, and saw a busty blond woman with her hair in two low pigtails. "Glad you're awake," She said, honey brown eyes softening at the sight of the pinkette—the special girl.

Flashback

"_And then you have to heal Teme!" Naruto said, pulling on her green jacket's sleeve. _

_She stumbled slightly as the other blond pulled her towards another room, just as she had finished reviving Hatake Kakashi. She groaned as the boy continued to pull her to another room. "Naruto, who else needs to be healed?"_

_Naruto's grin faded. "Tsunade-baa-chan, Sakura-chan hasn't woken up since the finals," He explained, dragging the Sannin to a room next door. As she withdrew the curtain, she saw a pink-haired girl lying unconscious on the bed. Bandages wrapped around her whole body, covering her arms, legs and most of her face. _

_A medic handed her a chart with a solemn 'Tsunade-sama'. She examined the little red line on the line graph. The girl was healing quickly, but not because of treatment. _

_The girl was healing herself._

_But the chuunin exam finals were a month ago…how is she still unconscious?_

"_Naruto," She called the attention of the eyesore dressed boy._

"_Yeah Tsunade-baa-chan?" _

"_Out of the room." She commanded, pointing a finger sternly at the door. Before he could complain, she held up a hand to stop him. Naruto muttered a 'fine' before leaving._

'Now let's see what's up with you…'

End Flashback

Sakura looked at the blond with a confused face. "How long was I unconscious?" She asked, not even bothering to inquire who she was.

"About a month. You fainted during the finals." The woman answered before pulling something from the bedside table. "By the way, congratulations. You have been promoted to the rank of chuunin." She laid the item on Sakura's lap, before smiling slightly.

The young girl was stroking the material of her new chuunin vest. "Thank you,"

The blond woman smiled. "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin, and the fifth Hokage of the village." She said.

Sakura was taken aback by the statement. "Godaime Hokage?" She questioned. "What happened to Sarutobi-sama?"

Tsunade turned her head away, not bothering to answer this question. "Hey kid, you have amazing chakra control." She commented, trying to change the subject. "I wonder…with your skills…"

The younger female lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean Tsunade-sama?" She asked.

"How would you like it if I taught you how to be a medic?"

--

"Congratulations to Sakura for being promoted to chuunin!" Kakashi raised his chopsticks in congrats. Team Kakashi, Team Gai, Team Kurenai and Team Asuma were currently celebrating the revival of Team Kakashi's members and the promotion of Sakura and Shikamaru to chuunin.

Sakura beamed, her chin lifting from the high collar of her new chuunin vest, which she wore contentedly over her usual clothing. She was the more enthusiastic of the two new chuunin, while the other one was groaning the whole party. He merely sat on the farthest stool of Ichiraku's, attempting to doze off whenever Asuma wasn't looking.

Sakura was showered with congrats everywhere, even from a sadistic Neji, who wasn't promoted at all. The little celebration continued until everyone dispersed slowly. Only Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi were left after Sasuke bid goodbye, chatting (or more like listening to the chatter of Naruto) about random adventures.

"I have to go," Sakura broke the conversation and ran off, waving to her remaining teammates. "Ja ne!"

--

Sasuke was off to go—Orochimaru had given him an offer he couldn't refuse. The Sannin could give him the power he needed to defeat his brother and avenge his clan.

"Uchiha," A voice called him, stopping him in his tracks.

He smirked, immediately recognizing the voice. "Are you going to stop me Sakura?" He asked, turning to face his pink-haired teammate.

She shook her head vigorously. "No, not really," She answered. "But just remember Sasuke, once you step out of those gates, Tsunade-shishou will send out her operatives after you."

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow, and in a flash, his face was two inches away from hers. "Who's gonna tell?" He whispered, dangerously close to her ear. She could feel his hot breath creep down her neck. "Oh Sakura, maybe when I get back from killing Aniki, maybe you can help me restore my clan."

The pinkette froze as he brought his fist to her stomach. "Uchiha…"

"Arigatou, Sakura…"

--

She waited for his chakra signal to fade away before jumping up from the bench. _'Stupid Sasuke, so weak and predictable…'_ The pinkette raced for the Hokage tower, thinking how stupid the Uchiha was, before Shina stepped in.

'**Do you realize that Teme just asked you to fuck with him then give him babies?'** She asked.

Luna perked up at the thought. **'OMG! Sasuke likes you!' **She squealed.

"Why do I even try?" Sakura mumbled under her breath to no one in particular. She burst through the Hokage's window in a flash, landing in front of said blond. "Shishou!" She cried.

The woman lifted her head from her desk, a piece of paper attached to her cheek. "Sakura, what makes you think you can disturb me at this hour?" She clutched her forehead. "Good god, my head is THROBBING."

"Shishou," _pant_ "Uchiha," _pant_ "Sasuke," pant "Orochimaru,"

Tsunade had heard enough. "Get Nara Shikamaru in this office _this instant_!" She slammed her hands on the table, making it buckle under her enormous physical strength.

--

**A/N: Filler chapter! The next with definitely, SURELY have Itachi in it! R&R!**


	13. Chapter 12: Meet the Uchihas

**A/N: Itachi chapter!!!! It's extra-long, for your enjoyment!!!! SWEE! now, REVIEW OR DIE.**

"No."

"Yes."

"NO!"

"YES!"

"Sakura…"

"Neji…" The pinkette returned the teasing, sticking her tongue out at the Hyuuga. "Admit it, you _tripped_ on that root Hyuuga."

"No I did not!" He scoffed, turning an icy shoulder to the kunoichi.

"Just shut up—you guys are so troublesome." Shikamaru quieted the pair down, rubbing his neck lazily. "You tripped Neji. Everyone trips at some point."

"Yeah," The white-eyed guy answered. "When they're _genin_."

"All of you _SHUT UP ALREADY!_" Subaku no Temari, the client for escorting to Konoha, cried, very annoyed with her three companions. She had her gloved hands on her ears, blocking out the sound of the trio's argument. "You Konoha shinobi are so noisy!"

"Sakura-san!" Izumo called as the four exited the Hokage building. "Guess what?"

"Izumo, Kotetsu," She cried, rubbing her temples in annoyance. "There are better ways—" Before she could continue, she felt someone tap her shoulder.

"Haruno, I have to report to the compound." He stated before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

"Ne Sakura," Shikamaru called her attention, making her turn to the pineapple headed Nara. "I have to take Temari around."

"Really now?" She lifted her eyebrow teasingly. "Are you going on a date?" She hinted with a tapping foot, her action earning twin red flags from both of the teens. "I knew it! Shika and Tema, sitting in a tree,"

"Sakura!" Kotetsu cried, pulling her attention away from the pair long enough for them to escape. "Naruto's back!"

--

The two sentinels and the kunoichi made their way through the village, easily spotting the spiky-haired blond standing on a telephone pole smack in the middle of Konoha. "Naruto!" His former pink-haired teammate called from below, waving a gloved hand in the air.

"Sakura-chan," He raced down the wooden pole in a flash of orange and black and landed beside his teammate. "Whoa, you look…different…" he commented, analyzing her after two years.

Her hair was cascading down to the waist in a low ponytail. Her black headband was around her neck like a choker, covering the whole area. Her black jacket was symmetrically cut, exposing the left shoulder. The sleeves were loose and kimono-like, good for hiding multiple weapons under the sleeves. It ended below at the mid-rib, and continued to expose the white tank top she wore under. The back was made like a corset, with multiple leather straps keeping it together. She wore black tight-shorts under a black half skirt. Past her kunai pouch were black buckle boots, strapped tightly to her leg.

"Same to you Naruto," She said gleefully, looking at her teammate. His jumpsuit wasn't _just orange_ now. It was orange and black. "You got taller. Heck, you're taller than me now. And I'm wearing heels!" She cried. "How's your traveling?"

"Naruto," A familiar, spiky-haired shinobi arrived, the one with the duty to show the Sand Ambassador around Konoha. "You're so loud and troublesome,"

"Shikamaru!" He cried, coming up to hi-5 the Nara. "And…Sand girl with the big fan," The blond gave him a menacing stare, just about to bring out her 'big fan'. Naruto brought his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry, I forgot your name!"

"It's Temari you _baka_," The Sand woman said. "Y'know, Gaara's big sister?"

"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru scratched the back of his neck, under his vest's collar. "I have to help organize the chuunin exams."

"Chuunin exams?" Naruto questioned. "I remember those…"

"Naruto," Shika remembered something. "You're the only one in our age group that hasn't been promoted to chuunin or something."

"NANI?!" The blond cried, pointing a finger at the uniformed shinobi. "So everyone's a chuunin now?"

The shadow manipulator shrugged. "Not just chuunin. Neji and the three of us here are all jounin, plus her brother, the puppet dude."

"So that means that Sakura-chan is…" his finger accusingly went from one jounin to another. "You're a jounin?"

Jiraya, totally undetectable until he spoke up, slapped his student on the back. "Well kid, looks like you got held back a bit." Said student threw a menacing glare at him, causing the Sannin to draw back his hand. "Well, sorry that _I_ held you back a bit."

The Kyuubi container's glare morphed into a smile. "It's okay. I'm gonna become Hokage anyways!" He cried, pumping his fists in the air.

Just as he did, his teacher inched closer to Sakura and grabbed her by the waist. "Hey pinky. You, me, dinner?"

This earned him a violent ramming through the ground. His comment about her _being_ violent earned him a few broken ribs. The pinkette slapped her palms together in contentment. "So what were we talking about?" She asked innocently, ignoring the gaping mouths of her companions.

Naruto, knowing that Sakura wouldn't answer him even though you ask and ask, moved onto another topic. "Talking about Gaara and ranks…"

"Oh," Temari noted proudly. "He's on a _totally_ different level."

--

(This part is set after the bridge of Heaven and Earth in the base after Sasuke blew a hole in it. Yes, I skipped the whole mission to Sand thing because I couldn't change anything really)

"Sasu…"

"…ke?"

Said nuke-nin stood right in front of them, after two and a half long years. He looked different—more demeaning and cold. His hair had grown longer, and he was clearly wearing the Sound uniform, purple rope and all. A long katana was strapped to his back. Lastly, his eyes were a blood red and had three commas concentrated around a pitch-black pupil.

He then turned to Naruto. He lifted the katana slowly to the blond's neck, to make a point that their so-called 'bond' is over. The stupid Kyuubi container never got his feelings anyways. He never knew how it was to have a family, and then lose them to the person you trusted most. They were different, so why have a bond at all?

The katana was moving closer and closer, and Naruto wasn't moving. Before the blade could inch any closer, a gloved hand caught his wrist and stepped between them.

"Sakura…"

"I can't let you kill Naruto." She threatened and pulled out a senbon from her sleeve. "I, on the other hand, have sworn my life to keep this kid alive."

He chuckled darkly. "You will always and forever be a nuisance to true power Sakura." He spun his teammates around, having one hand each on them. He sent out a full body chidori, blowing Naruto off on his left, but Sakura still kept holding. She'd already experienced the power of the chidori, but never in this proximity, and yet she didn't flinch. She pointed her senbon upwards with her free hand and re-directed the Uchiha's lightning.

"Isn't it just pitiful? Poor Uchiha's greatest attack was beaten by a simply re-direction trick." She teased, whipping a gloved finger back and forth to emphasize.

Again, the Uchiha laughed. He approached her and cupped a hand under her chin. "Do you remember my offer before I left?" He asked, whispering dangerously close to her ear. "When all of this is over, I _will_ claim you as my wife and you and I shall restore the Uchiha clan."

She growled, a created distance between them. "Go ask a fangirl or something. I am not going to slip to that level." She then sent her chakra flowing to her fist and sent it flying at the raven-haired boy. But before she could, her ex-teammate attacked the brunette by stabbing him on his right shoulder pocket with his katana rigged with lightning. "Captain!"

Said captain was already on the ground, supporting himself on a large piece of debris. While Sasuke bore daggers into the blond, Yamato was able to push the sword out with a strip of wood. He created a dome around the Uchiha, only to have him jump out from the top and back beside Sakura.

He rammed his katana through her midsection. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, signing that he hit a vital part. She was still recovering from Sasori's stab wound—and he hit the exact same part. The blade went cleanly through, slicing the tip of her long, pink locks. "Even though you are a medic that surpasses the Hokage herself, I know that that is a vital organ unreachable by your own chakra." He explained, knowing all to well her limit.

"Sasuke, stop!" Naruto cried, seeing his pink-haired teammate practically mutilated in front of his eyes. "Orochimaru wants to take over your body!" He stated in a loud scream.

"If that's what it takes to kill _him_, then let him take over my body." He deadpanned, striking the katana deeper into the pinkette's body.

"He is a nuke-nin, and not allowed to roam free." Yamato said. "We need to bring him back to Konoha with whatever it takes."

"I've had it with all of you!" He slid his weapon out of Sakura's body and rammed it into the ground. He formed a few hand seals and he started glowing white. He raised his hand, only to have it grabbed by a pale hand.

"You are not about to use _that_ jutsu, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru halted the teen from using the technique. "Come now."

"Beat it." The Uchiha barely looked at the Snake-sannin. His pupils traced the way to the cloud of smoke beside him. Appearing out of it was a clearly shaken Kabuto.

"You still use such foul language with Orochimaru-sama?" He asked, receiving a glare from the Uchiha. He then turned to Sasuke's most recent victim. The kunoichi was leaning against a boulder, clutching the stab wound. "Ah, Sakura-san,"

"Let's leave Sasuke." Orochimaru hinted, setting the arm of his apprentice down.

"Bring her."

"Nani?"

"She could be of use, if not to you…" He noted, turning to the pinkette. "…then she could be of use to me."

"Fine,"

The raven-haired boy replaced his katana in its sheath, then picked up the nearly unconscious kunoichi bridal-style before disappearing tongues of flames.

Naruto fell to his knees, cursing to himself. "I was too weak to protect her…to take back Sasuke…"

Sai turned to the captain. "What now?"

"Knowing Orochimaru, he would have relocated bases for protection." Yamato stated. "I think we have to head back to Tsunade-sama. She has control of this now."

--

'**Wake up Sakura…'**

'_Izanami, haven't heard from any of you guys for a while.'_

The goddess shrugged as her children materialized beside her. **'Family vacation.' **Shina answered, smiling happily.

'**Listen up kid,'** Zeke metaphorically cupped his hands on his mouth. **'Ya need to wake up. You can't sleep right now.'**

'_What happened?'_ Before she could be answered, Luna jumped around her head.

'**OMG Sasuke-kun is back! He looks even cuter now! And did you see his chest? It's so—'**

'_Just tell me what happened.'_ Sakura cut the water deity off, inwardly rubbing her temples.

'**You got kidnapped.'**

'_Shit.'_

The kunoichi opened her eyes, seeing nothing but darkness. She attempted to rub her eyes, but found both of her arms strapped to a chair, along with her torso and ankles. She could feel the ropes searing through her skin—

'_Skin?'_ she asked herself. That _bastard_ removed her jacket!

'**He also removed your headband and gloves.'** Rai added.

The damned Uchiha would get a really bad black-eye when she got out of this—which she hoped to be soon. She concentrated her kick-ass strength to her arms, trying to cut it with her chakra.

"Shit," She thought aloud.

"They are chakra-enhance roping." A voice, its source unknown, spoke. "You can't break free from them, even if you used your super strength."

"Where am I?" she asked hazily.

"Location is classified information." He deadpanned.

"Get me the hell out of these ropes Sasuke!" She commanded, squirming around in the chair.

"I'll let you out," He chuckled. He pushed a bit of chakra into the ropes, then pulled her by the arm. He pushed her onto a nearby bed. She lay on her back as he knelt on top of her. He kissed her collarbone lightly and inched up her neck. "I've always wanted you Sakura. You and only you."

Her eyes widened at the feeling of his callous lips on her skin. "No…please don't…" She pleaded in a silent whisper.

"I know it's a little early to start," He laid completely on top of her, pulling her by the arch of her back closer to his body. She stiffened under his touch, causing him to pull harder. His hands crawled up her shirt slowly, making her joints lock together. "Don't fight Sakura, it's hopeless."

"NO!" She cried, and he retracted his hold on her like her skin burned. The markings on her arms were luminous, and glowed a whitish silver. She concentrated chakra to her fist and slammed it into the ground, causing the earth to shake and Sasuke to loose his balance.

"What…?" he thought aloud, stumbling backwards.

The pinkette slid her hands around a few hand seals. "Earth Morph," She whispered, and she disappeared through the cracks.

--

"Ki-kid-n-napped?" Tsunade asked. Her knees were shaking vigorously under the table as she tried to look opposing while standing. Only three members of Team Kakashi stood in front of her, making her worry about her you apprentice. She slinked back into her chair in disbelief. "Impossible! Sakura has been trained—"

"She was unconscious—barely breathing." Yamato explained.

"How was she incapacitated?" The Godaime asked, still a bit shaky from the reality.

"Stabbed straight through the left side." Sai deadpanned.

The master grabbed her side, the same area where her student was stabbed. She was barely recovered from that wound—practically a fatal wound if it weren't for her medical skills. Plus, Sasori's katana was poisoned. She had to have a second dose of the antidote when she arrived back in Konoha. She was against Sakura even going on the mission, but she had no choice but to let her. After all, it was her teammate.

"Ne, Tsunade-obaa-chan," the usually enthusiastic Uzumaki boy said, using a quiet, uncharacteristic tone. "What do we do now?"

Said Hokage rubbed her temples in frustration. "Get Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Neji and any other available jounin in this office _immediately_!"

--

Brown, black and green whipped past her as she raced away from the Sound base. No _fucking_ way was she gonna stay there. Sasuke was trying to rape her for crying out loud! She didn't even know where she was—instinct (and really noisy gods and goddesses inside her head) were driving her southwards. Judging by the _very _stormy weather, she was either in Mist or Rain, which were the two worst places to be in a sleeveless, razorback tank top.

She was running low on chakra, meaning two things. For one, she won't be able to get far enough from the base. Reason number two was the fact there was a gaping hole on her side, and she couldn't heal it.

She slipped on a puddle, subsequently tripping on a root. _'Oh joy,'_ she thought. _'So this is what I get for teasing Neji.'_ She tried standing, but her own body rebelled against her, gluing her to the forest floor. Her chakra was totally depleted, and her physical strength was totally gone.

Her eyelids were sleeping. Even though she was unconscious for…what? Hours, days…weeks maybe. Despite all that 'sleep', she was so damned tired. She was weary, and felt drained and…she was slipping…into…darkness…

--

"So she's gone?"

Naruto glanced at his sandals bashfully, not wanting to upset the enrage Hyuuga. "Um, yeah…" Why was it only now that Neji and Shikamaru told him they've been teamed up together all the time nowadays, since they all had the same ranking? Team Gai and Team Kakashi had a mission together, and yet they forgot to tell him!

The brunette clawed his fingernails tightly into his palm, the hand earning four blood marks. "Shit!" He cried, rubbing his hand. Usually, Sakura would heal that then give him a really loud scolding about anger management.

Shikamaru stepped in time with the other two as they exited the briefing. "Well, go get your team Neji." The spiky haired shadow manipulator said, breaking his bloody reverie.

When Naruto left, the Hyuuga stopped walking. "How could she be so stupid?" He cursed quietly to himself. "She supposed to be smart, capable—"

He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Sakura is capable. Don't underestimate her, remember?" Shikamaru reassured the tense jounin just before walking in front of him to get his team.

'_Please be alive Haruno…'_

--

"Ne, Sasori-dono, isn't that the pink-haired Konoha girl who almost killed you, un?" A blond man asked his companion, a redhead in a black and red traveling cloak.

"Shut up Deidara." Sasori snarled as his partner stopped on a high branch, spotting a mass of pink down on the forest floor. "I do not like to be reminded. Besides, Chiyo was the one who was controlling her."

Deidara jumped from his place on the tree branch and landed beside the kunoichi's body. "I remember, she was like, the super medic that was able to counter your poison, yeah?" He noted, poking the tresses of pink locks.

"Again Deidara," the puppeteer landed beside the blond. If he could, he would be rubbing his temples. "I do not like being reminded—STOP POKING HER!"

He dropped his hand on command. "Sorry dono, yeah." He apologized. "Y'know, maybe she can help us. She can like, heal Itachi, yeah!"

The Sand native bore holes into his partner. "No. Way."

"Why not dono? She so kawai, yeah. And she can help Itachi. We don't want a blind member, yeah. And if not, she can be like, a pet or something like Tobi, un?" He pleaded, already on his knees and hands clasped together. "Please, un?"

"Well…"

--

_Stupid rain…Stupid Leader-sama for choosing Rain for the main base…stupid—_

"Shit! Itachi, it's so good to see you at 2 o'clock in the fucking morning." Hidan opened his bedroom door, hearing the squeaking of the Uchiha's wet sandals.

"Hn,"

A blue-haired girl in a black night robe appeared in the hallway. "Itachi, you can report to Leader-sama later. Go get some sleep." She announced, then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

He switched direction and turned towards his own bedroom. He took two steps through the doorway before leaves swirled around him. He materialized in front of another door and kicked it down violently. "Deidara," he spoke in a threatening tone. A dark, killing aura reflected him as he dragged him out of bed by his long blond hair.

The artist tried to scramble out of the hair lock the Mangyekou wielder held him in. "Fuck you Itachi! What the hell are you dragging me out of my fucking bed at fucking—?"

"Shut up Deidara. You're mouth is dirtier than Hidan's." He deadpanned. He stopped at his own doorway and pulled the blond through it. "What does this mean?"

He pointed the other Akatsuki member's head at the bed. A lump protruded from under the pitch-black sheets. Pink locks peeked out from under the blanket, resting on a black pillow.

"Well, un…" Deidara started nervously. "Tobi was playing with my clay, yeah, and he blew up the wing with the dungeons and guest rooms, yeah." He explained, twitching under the gaze of the Uchiha. He tried dodging the crimson eyes, praying that he wouldn't fall under his genjutsu. "Leader-sama approved it, yeah,"

"Why did you put her in my room?" He asked, releasing the artist's hair.

Dei rubbed his scalp, checking if the skin was still attached to his skull. "She's the number one medic in Konoha, yeah," he explained. "She was trained under the Godaime herself, and was able to counter Sasori's poison, yeah. She was the kunoichi that nearly killed him, yeah."

Itachi has heard about the 'almost-dead-Sasori' incident from a few weeks ago. In fact, he and Kisame were the ones that helped patch up his 'organ' while Hidan re-attached Deidara's arm. It was a disgusting sight, but Akatsuki can't loose two of its valued members at the same time.

"And that means…?"

"She can heal your eyes, yeah!"

"Really now?" he inquired.

"She can heal you, yeah." the blond answered, stumbling to get up. "Can I go sleep now?" He asked.

"Dismissed."

Itachi stalked deeper in the room, removing his cloak on the way. He shook his long, damp hair free of water, and looked over his captive/healer/guest. Her face was half-buried in the pillow and covered by her messy pink locks. The pinkette contentedly slipped her hands under the pillow and hugged it. What he could see from her, she was in the fifteen/sixteen range, and her arms were marked with random black tattoos. What fifteen/sixteen year old would tattoo her arms? Aside from him, of course. When he entered ANBU, he was required to get the standard identifying tattoo.

He glanced at her possessions lying on the bedside. It was only her boots that were haphazardly thrown around. Her original clothing must be in the laundry, since he saw a familiar shirt that could only belong to the blue-haired female Akatsuki member. But where was her kunai pouch? She didn't even have scrolls or a pack of supplies. What happened before Deidara and Sasori found her?

Deciding to leave the girl for later, he entered the second door in the room, leading to his bathroom. He shed his wet clothes and stepped into the shower. Hot water trickled down his back as he opened a black bottle of unscented shampoo. He spread it along his ebony locks, having it foam up against his scalp.

Deidara was so stupid. Putting the girl in _his_ room was his second worst idea yet. The first was lending Tobi his clay. Besides, the organization has tried tons of medics, and all failed to heal him. What difference does it make if a fifteen-year old healed him?

--

She opened her eyes to the sight of a black pillow. Was she rescued? Well, she couldn't be in Konoha. Her own sheets were red and white, and the hospital's sheets were pure white. Maybe a nice villager found her? No, most villagers aren't rich enough to own black, Egyptian cotton bed sheets and pillowcases. Thus, there was only one explanation.

'_Kidnapped,'_ she thought. _'Again,' _

She sat up and glanced around the room. It was simple and minimalist, decorated with black furniture and walls painted white. Aside from the bed against the center wall, there were two, black night tables on the sides. A desk and chair were against the left wall. An armchair was located in the farthest corner, together with a standing lamp. Behind the armchair was a bookcase, filled with multicolored books and scrolls. A large window, dampened with rainwater, filled the room with streams of silver moonlight.

She doubted to hear any of nagging gods or goddesses in her subconscious, so she tried retracing her footsteps by herself.

'_(1) got stabbed then kidnapped by chicken-butt. (2) Almost got raped by chicken-butt. (3) Morphed my way out of the base. (4) Ran through the forest. (5) Tripped on a root [stupid karma]. (6) Passed out.'_

So where was the kidnapping part?

She tried to swing her legs off of the bed, but failed to do so. Her whole abdomen ached from her slightly healed yet gaping stab wound. The kunoichi lifted the grey and blue shirt, which was obviously not hers, and concentrated her chakra to her hand. She laid it on her left side, healing the muscle tissues as best as she could.

"You're awake."

She retracted her hand from her side, shocked that she didn't detect the chakra signature of her kidnapper. "Who are you?" She asked.

Her captor stayed silent for a while, just as he stayed in the shadows. She could finally feel his chakra signature, but it was unfamiliar and strange.

"Who are you?" She demanded in the loudest possible voice her crackling and dry throat allowed her to.

Her captor slid quietly to the opposite side of the queen-sized bed, all the while staying in the shadows. He picked up a pitcher of water and poured its contents into a cup. "You must be thirsty." He extended his arm across to the pinkette, offering the cup. "My associates found you stranded in the woods early yesterday morning." He explained. "Tell me, what happened before they did?"

Sakura took the cup and analyzed the water inside. She pushed some chakra into the glass. It wasn't poisoned or dirty. In fact, it was spring water. She sipped it, feeling the cool sensation slipping down her throat. After she did, she threw a menacing glance at her captor. "I asked you a question first."

"Answer mine first." He stated bluntly.

Sakura tried to decipher the outline of her kidnapper. She couldn't tell who it was, only that he was tall, had long hair and a strong build. She sighed, knowing that he would only answer her question under the circumstance that she answers his. "I just escaped from a Sound base and a rape attempt by Uchiha Sasuke." She explained, setting her cup on the bedside table. "Time for you to answer my question. Who are you and where am I?"

"I only asked you one question. You asked me two."

"I gave you two answers. You give me two." She retorted, lifted he shoulders in smartass-ness.

The captor nodded. "Fair enough." He morphed into the shadows, and then reappeared beside her, the stream of moonlight hitting his toned chest, his muscular arms, and his elongated neck, his ebony black hair pulled back in a ponytail, prominent cheek bones and luminous crimson eyes. "My name is Uchiha Itachi, and our location is classified."

"Damn you Uchihas…"

--

**A/N: Kay, if you're all wondering why I didn't include the mission to Suna part, was because of three reasons: (1) Itachi would be MUCH CLOSER! (2) If I did, I'd be covering, like, 50+ episodes in this one chappie. (3) I'm too lazy.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chap! Please review!**


	14. Chapter 13: Meet the Akatsuki

**A/N: This chapter mostly concentrates on Itachi's point of view, but written in normal view. Sorry if he seems a little OOC, but it's my first shot at probing deep into Itachi's mind. Okay? Okay. **

**--**

"Why 'damn you Uchihas'?" Itachi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you hold a grudge against my family?"

Sakura raised her hands up and waved them in a defensive manner. "No…" she said, sweat dripping down her temples. "…just your brother."

"You have relations with my little brother?" He inquired.

"I just told you he tried to rape me." The kunoichi crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Uchiha, are you turning this into a 20 questions game?"

Itachi pulled the chair from the desk and sat in a casual way, turning the chair around and resting his arms on the back rest. Honestly, he was thinking that this was more like an interrogation, but decided to play this 'game'. "If you wish to call it that,"

Sakura smiled slyly. "Then that means, I get to ask you questions in return." She clapped her hands childishly, as she saw the reaction on the Mangyekou user's face. _'Looks like he never played 20 questions before…'_ "You already asked me three questions, I asked you two questions—so that means I have another turn before you can continue."

"Fine,"

She pulled her knees towards her torso and hugged them. Her chin rested on the joint in a fetal position, and she tilted her head in inquiry. "When did the blindness start?"

'_How did she know?'_ Itachi thought, but still kept his straight face on.

"I'm a medic-nin trained under the Godaime Hokage herself." She stated, as if she read her captor's mind. "I know these things."

"I was thinking that you would inquire about things like how you got here or why you are here and questions in that family." He retorted.

"You already explained that." The pinkette said with a shrug. "I got here because your 'associates' found me stranded in the forest the other day, and I know I'm here because your Sharingan is causing your blindness and you want me to try and heal you, since I'm the student of the Hokage, and possess the medical skills needed." She set down her hands from making air quotes. "Just answer my question."

--

In Konoha

"Kakashi, Naruto, Sai and Yamato along with Team Gai will scout the land of Wind and Rain respectively." Tsunade deadpanned. Four shinobi teams were gathered by the gates, right in front of her. "Team Asuma and Team Kurenai will search through Grass and Stone. The Kazekage has his shinobi scouting other areas as well."

"Hai," The teams chorused.

"Time limit is two weeks. Two weeks without word from you and I am sending back up. Is that understood? Good, now go get my student!" The shinobi jumped in a blur of colors, out to their respective direction.

The female Hokage looked up to the sky hopefully. Her student was highly skilled—she possesses the medical skills of the Sannin herself, and not to mention her kick-ass strength. She, strangely enough, has even mastered the 5 elements, plus plant-life control and ice. Even with her wounds, she would last quite a while.

Still, she couldn't help the strange feeling at the very pit of her stomach. The blond can't imagine her life without the pink-haired teen calling her 'shishou' all the time. Much worse, Naruto and Neji. Ever since their academy days, Naruto has admired Sakura profusely. He would be heartbroken if she wasn't around to punch him or push him around. Neji on the other hand, helped Sakura reach her full potential. They've trained together and been teammates a few times, and rumor has it that he has a little crush on her.

'_Please get to her soon. Please save my student.'_

--

Back in 'classified location'

"A few months ago." He answered bluntly. "My turn,"

"Couldn't you be more specific? Like, the situation when the blindness started?" Sakura asked, medic instincts kicking in.

"No. It means what it sounds." The Uchiha deadpanned, but continued with his turn. "There is more than just a silly rape attempt by my brother. You knew him before that."

"I'm surprised you haven't heard of me from the Academy." She laughed sarcastically. "Sasuke and I were practically 'best friends'." She giggled, only to stop and see a straight-faced Uchiha Itachi. "I am Haruno Sakura—I was on Sasuke's genin team before he left."

In turn, Itachi was the one who chuckled. "So you weren't a fangirl?"

Her mouth fell open in shock. "If I was, then why would I run away from him?" She crossed her arms proudly across her chest. "You asked two questions, now it's my turn."

He nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Go ahead."

"What was the situation when you started losing your eyesight?" She inquired. "Specifically,"

Itachi sighed. "I just killed a few guards with the Sharingan. Nothing big." He explained. "Is the situation really necessary to the op—?"

"Yes," She cut him in mid-sentence. "It's still my turn. Why did you kill your clan?"

The raven-haired nuke stood up from his position in the chair and walked over to the other side of the bed. He stayed silent as he lifted the black comforter to let himself in. "Get some sleep while you can. Explosions and cursing start in a few hours."

"Wait!" She cried. "Are you sleeping beside me?"

He tilted his head and lifted an eyebrow. _'Stupid Deidara…'_ "This is my room. It is either you sleep on the bed or on the floor without a blanket or a pillow." He deadpanned. "If you don't want to get sick and keep your chakra to heal my eyes and be released, then sleep on the bed with a comforter and a pillow."

She contemplated on her options. For one, there was her shishou enforced pride to consider. Then again, she was in the base of a group of S-class nuke-nin, so escape wasn't one of her options.

"Fine," She slinked back under the covers and turned away from her companion. Her eyelids drooped closed. She was more tired than she thought, even after a whole day of sleep. As she did, she realized that the Uchiha smirked before climbing into bed beside her. "Good night Itachi," She said in a mocking tone.

"Hn," was all she got in respond.

"Uchihas are all the same." She whispered to herself before succumbing back into a not so peaceful sleep.

--

The breakfast table was hectic as usual, since it occupants being everyone, minus Leader-sama. Even if he did eat inside his room (he barely came out for specific reasons), Konan was kind enough to cook for the group of pathetic men who spent their lives learning techniques and completely disregarded cooking as a basic survival necessity.

"Fuck you! That's my fucking omelet Tobi! Come back here you little shit!"

"Noooooooo!!! Tobi is a good boy! Tobi only wants breakfast!!"

"I asked for that fucking omelet with ham you shit!! Give it back!!"

"Hidan!" A booming, female voice halted the Jashinist. Her finger peaked out from her blue blouse's sleeve **(A/N: They don't wear their cloaks indoors—why would they anyways? They already know that they're all Akatsuki, so what's the point?)** and pointed at the desolated area the chase left.

"Tobi's fault!" He cried, waving his hands defensively as the blue-haired female brought out a stack of papers. "Spare me!!"

"Konan," Said kunoichi turned to the source of the voice. There was Itachi standing at the bottom of the staircase. "You do know that even if you give him multiple paper cuts, he'll just resurrect again."

"Yeah, I know." She said gloomily. "What do you suggest, Ita?" The paper manipulator chuckled evilly, seeing the Jashinist quiver at the thought of Itachi's 'suggestion'.

"Psychological torture."

"Agh!! Fuck you!!" Hidan cussed, waving his fist in the air. "Fine, I'll clean it up."

Do you see why Leader never comes out?

"Wow, you were right," A small voice piped up from behind the deadly Sharingan wielder. "The cursing does start early."

"Oh!" Konan cried, her hands whipping to her cheeks. "She's awake!" She rushed to where Itachi was standing and shoved him away. "Hi, I'm Konan!"

"Sakura…" The pinkette returned the smile.

"What's got her all uptight today?"

"There's another female in the room."

"So Sakura, did anything happen last night in Itachi's room?" Konan asked, eyebrows raised in a teasing manner.

The medic flushed three shades of red. "No, nothing at all!" As they arrived back at the table, the pinkette's chin fell to the floor. Her fingers were pointed accusingly at the two artists sitting on the table, debating on how lasting art really is.

"Art lasts forever…" One stated. "What is the use of creating something beautiful if it will just disappear the next second?"

"Art is a bang!" The other one backfired. "It is the cycle of life, everything eventually fades away."

"You two are supposed to be dead!" Sakura cried. "I saw…Sasori…puppets…Chiyo…poison…katana…EEP! This is so confusing!"

The whole group turned their heads and faced the kunoichi. The blue-skinned man broke the silence with loud chortling. "You're the chick that defeated Sasori?"

The pinkette placed her hands on her hips and plastered a scowl on her face. "Is there a problem with that, Sushi?"

"Ooh, Sushi," Konan piped up. "I like this girl already."

"It is true," Sasori broke the stare-off between blue and pink. "She, accompanied by Elder Chiyo, almost killed me."

"Why _are_ you still alive?" Sakura asked. "You even gave me information in exchange for defeating you. By the way, your mind control jutsu on Kabuto was broken."

"I already knew that." Sasori deadpanned. "And to the question as to why I'm still alive, was because I never died. No further questions." The redhead shrugged off the topic.

Sakura then turned to the blond Akatsuki member. "What about you? You exploded yourself and caused my sensei three weeks in the hospital!!"

"Suicide clone, yeah." Deidara chuckled, proud of himself for baffling the pinkette. "Don't worry though; we don't hold any grudges against you, yeah. I have to admit, you Konoha dudes really gave us a fight, un."

"Sakura!" Konan called her attention and pat the seat beside her. "Do you like ham omelet?" She presented a mess of yellow and red on a white porcelain plate.

"That's my fucking ham omelet, bitch!" A voice from outside the kitchen screamed.

The blue-haired female secretly mocked the Jashinist. "Fuck off! There's enough for everyone!"

"EEP! Tobi thinks Konan-sempai is scary…" The orange masked Akatsuki-wannabe quietly sank down in his seat, shivering with fear.

Deidara tapped the shoulder of the oblivious pinkette. "She's bipolar, yeah."

Sakura shrugged. "I think I've noticed."

--

"Naruto," Yamato called for the blond, dipping his head to look threatening. "_Enough,_"

"Eep! Captain!" The Kyuubi container cried, inching away from Sai, who he was formerly bugging. The captain burst into laughter. "It's no time for laughing." Naruto said solemnly.

"You're right." The captain agreed and sat down by the campfire.

"Captain," Sai said, breaking the silence. "Do you think Sakura's still alive?"

From behind the group of three, the Copy-nin came back from his rounds. He looked up from his book, cursing the fact there wasn't enough light in the night. When he did, he saw three abnormally silent teammates. He laid down face up on his sleeping mat and gazed at the stars. He had heard Sai's question.

What would Sasuke want with Sakura? She was a good medic, but Kabuto was already there. Was it her kunoichi skills? Did they want to make her one of their 'experiments'? After all, she is a jounin of Konoha and had the skills of the Slug Sannin. But he was very sure Sasuke didn't want that. Was it…

He shrugged off the thought. They were—what—fifteen for crying out loud! Sasuke couldn't want that already! Sure, Sakura was highly wanted by many of Konoha's male population—he had already fended off a lot of those. She wouldn't be _that_ kind of girl. She would probably pummel Sasuke into the ground before he could _try_ anything on her (Oh believe him, he has seen that happen).

Leaving that topic, he went to another possibility. His pink-haired student could have escaped. She was really kick-ass, and many times has he been on the receiving end of those kick-ass skills.

_Still…_

Even if she escaped, there was always a major possibility she was already dead. She had a gaping hole at her side. According to Team Kakashi's past two mission reports, she was first stabbed by Sasori by a poisoned katana in an organ that cannot be completely healed by her amazing medic skills. It wasn't even completely healed, but she was okay enough to go to the Bridge of Heaven and Earth. After that, she was scarred by the Kyuubi's chakra. Then she got stabbed _again_ in the _same place_ by Sasuke this time.

She's really injured, and he couldn't help but doubt that Sakura was really dead.

--

"Stay still Itachi." The medic-nin commanded. "Geez, for a stoic Uchiha, you sure do squirm a lot."

He twitched at the feeling of her cool forehead on his, connecting their chakra flow. Her face was barely an inch away from his, and she smelled like roses. Even after days of traveling, the smell of coppery blood, or dirt or sweat was overpowered by the sweet, floral scent of the shampoo Konan lent her. Or was it her natural scent? Either way, it made his breath hitch every time he inhaled.

He remembered the night before. When he woke up, she was tangled in his arms, and her hair tickled his nose. She was cuddle by his chest…wrong day to not wear a shirt to bed. Before she could wake up though, he removed himself from her hold quietly, snuck into the bathroom and got changed.

His jaw tensed, as his obeyed the pinkette. "Turn off the Sharingan." Itachi opened his eyes, the pupils being a charcoal black. She pushed chakra into his temples, and searched through his systems for the flaw.

What could possibly be the problem with the Sharingan? The Byakugan worked perfectly, so how come its cousin was flawed?

"You're tense." She stated. "Ease up; you're practically blocking my chakra."

He obeyed silently as he observed her expression. Sweat trickled down her temples as she probed deeper into his eye system. He could feel her cool, green chakra run through his veins. The feeling was refreshing at the same time, addicting. It was like he was drunk on her chakra. He felt hazy and disoriented—

_SMACK!_

He swiped her hands away from his face. "Uchiha, what the—"

His lips were pressed roughly against hers, and his hand snaked around her petite waist. Her eyes flew open at the feeling, but she succumbed to his embrace and slid her hands on his shoulders. He pulled her down beside him onto the bed. He leaned in closer, close enough that he was halfly on to of her.

He broke the heated kiss just as stomping was heard from down the hall. The door flung open and revealed Tobi.

"Can Tobi hi—" He was cut short when he saw the position Itachi and Sakura were in. "What are Itachi-sempai and Sakura-sempai doing?"

"TOBI, GIVE ME MY CLAY—Holy…" Deidara stopped in the middle of choking the orange masked ninja when he also noticed Itachi and Sakura. He grabbed Tobi's collar and pulled him out of the room. "C'mon Tobi…" And he slammed the door behind him.

Itachi chuckled softly as he buried his face in her sensual pick locks, inhaling her sweet, floral scent. "Smart boy,"

He once again dove in to kiss her, when all of a sudden, Luna pops into her head, wearing an 'I heart Weasel' T-shirt, and waving flags with Itachi's face. **'Sasuke's overrated! Itachi's the new Sasuke!'**

'_Damn right—Shannaro!'_

**(A/N: I could end the chapter here, but since I have nothing else to do…)**

--

She's spent one week under the Akatsuki's roof. In that span of one week, Deidara has taught her to make spiders out of non-explosive clay, went shopping with Konan in the local district, beat the crap out of Kisame for flirting with her, plot with Tobi about stealing Kakazu's money, out-badmouthed Hidan, tended the garden with Zetsu and learned about marionettes from Sasori.

Oh, and fell in love with her village's most notorious criminal.

Maybe the Akatsuki weren't so bad. They—well; most of them—actually seemed human, regardless of the fact that one was a walking, talking shark; one was a human marionette and the other a giant venues fly trap.

"Itachi, get your _ass_ over here so I can work on your eyes!" Sakura screamed, her voice echoing throughout the base.

"Shut up pinky! I still have a hangover from last night!" Kisame poked his gilled head through his bedroom door.

"Well it's not my fault that you never worked under the sake-addicted Godaime, learned to have high alcohol tolerance from her or cheat with medical ninjutsu, _Sushi_." She stuck her tongue out in a childish manner and placed her fists on her hips. "Have you seen Itachi?"

Kisame extended a faded blue finger out from the crack of the door. "Behind you,"

The kunoichi threw her arms in the air as she turned around and saw a stoic Itachi standing behind her. His arm made its way around her waist and pulled her closer. She slapped his chest half-heartedly. "Don't scare me like that!"

He chuckled softly, so soft that only she can hear it. "Sorry,"

The Samehada wielder shook his head before disappearing behind his door. He couldn't believe that one teenager can turn the whole Akatsuki upside down, not to mention bring _the_ Uchiha Itachi down to apologize to her.

Is that why Leader-sama will summon her to his chamber?

--

**A/N: SWEE! Another chapter done! Akatsuki rules! Again, sorry if Itachi is OOC. R&R please! I'll love you forever and ever…:))**


	15. Discontinued NoticeAN: Sorry

**A/N: I'm sorry to inform everyone, but "Dark Days" will be discontinued. It will be re-written in the near future, but there are a lot of loopholes in the earlier chapters, and I just couldn't ignore any of them. I lost the power to write for this story. It was one of my firsts, so my writing was really suckish compared to my other stories, and there are many loopholes because my ideas for this story just kept on changing. It was also very dragging--it took 13 chaps just to get to Itachi after I promised you an ItaSaku! **

**I bet all the even-better-than-me-authors are just criticizing me right now for not being able to make this story's ideas merge. I know all of you must hate me right now, but to me, this story is just a dead end. I'm finding it hard to write non-AU fics that have lots of fight scenes and shinobi content it them. Life seems so much simpler to me if I didn't truly ponder with that topic. **

**Again, take note: I WILL RE-WRITE THIS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. After I finish my other more developed projects (e.g: Dance Floor and Impatience), I will find time to re-write this all. **

**I'm sorry, valuable readers! I'm not going to delete the story though, I need it to make the re-write better. **

**Thanks!  
**

**Hope you're not hating me right now:**

**BellaPerea **


End file.
